THE ULTIMATE WINTERFEST SURPRISE
by kathyde
Summary: When the team from Castle teams up with Joe Maxwell they stumble upon a huge secret and bring it back to Winterfest
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

After another long day at the office, Joe Maxwell walked into his home with a tired smile on his face. "Hey, everyone I'm home!"

"Dad's here!" Joe's namesake screamed out as he ran happily from the kitchen.

Joe scooped up his eight year old son and swung him in the air. "Hey, Buddy!"

"Hiya, Daddy!"

"Daddy? Uh oh, what did ya do, Joey?"

"Nothin'!"

"Ha!" His thirteen year old sister, Maria, said from her seat on the couch in front of the TV.

"Maria!" Joe warned as he frowned, hoping it would discourage her from tattling.

"I wasn't gonna say anything!"

Joe smiled and came over and kissed her cheek. "Good girl!"

Amy, Joe's fourteen year old, rolled her eyes from her seat on the other side of the couch. "Mom's gonna tell you any way."

Joe kissed Amy as well. "Yeah, but hopefully not before I've had my dinner…anyone know what she cooked?"

Brittany, Joe's fifteen year old came in from the kitchen, tossing a baseball into the air then catching it with the baseball glove on her hand. "Lasagna."

Joe caught the ball mid air and held it in his hand and waved it slowly as he tried to get a look of disapproval on his face again. "Not in the house!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

"Did you get a hit today?"

"Double…brought in the tying run."

"3rd base line?"

"Nope, dead center!" Brittany's eyes gleamed proudly.

"Whoa! Seriously?"

"Hit the wall half way up…I was this close to a homer!" Brittany moaned as she held her hands apart.

"That's my girl!" Joe cupped her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "I'm sorry I missed it…next time, champ!"

"Saturday at 10:00."

Joe kissed her cheek and turned her towards the stairs leading to the upstairs bathroom. "Saturday?! Huh? You'll still be washing off the grime from today, Kiddo! Better hurry if you want to make dinner."

Brittany took the stairs two at a time as Joe headed into the kitchen.

He leaned against the door frame and grinned. "Ahhh…this is how I like my women…knee-deep in domestic bliss!"

Kelly, Joe's second born looked up from tossing the salad. "I'm only seventeen and even I know how sexist that remark is!"

Joe kissed her cheek and laughed. "Did I forget to say _beautiful_ women?!" 

He saw his wife bending over the oven and grabbed her by the hips and spun her around. "Hey, it's my best girl! How's Jenny Aaronson today?!"

"It's Maxwell…for almost 20 years now," Jenny giggled as she turned in his embrace. "You're in a good mood!"

"You betcha!" Joe drew her close and kissed her passionately.

"Hey! Not in front of the kids!" Debbie, their oldest at eighteen, moaned as she showed her disgust. "Can't you guys get a room?!"

Jenny giggled and turned her head. "No thank you! Every time we do that, I have another one of you pop out!"

Debbie's face showed her horror. "My God…wasn't Joey enough?!"

"Yeah…" Joe laughed as he walked over and put his arm around her shoulder then kissed her cheek. "But we're still so in love."

She elbowed him and tried to hide her smile.

"You're disgusting! Both of you!"

Joe grabbed a carrot from the counter top. "I'm starving! How long before it's ready?"

"20 minutes…I put the mail on your desk…" Jenny said as she handed him another carrot and pointed him out the door. "A package came for you…"

"Probably from a secret admirer…"

Not skipping a beat, Jenny sang out sarcastically. "Can she move in and take on some of the chores around here…help with the laundry would be awesome!"

Joe made a face as he walked into his office and sat at his desk. He turned on his computer and quickly checked his e-mail. He eyed the stack of mail and grabbed for the top one then sighed when he opened the cable and electric bill. He gasped aloud when he saw the phone bill. "Damn!" he moaned angrily. He thought about getting up and screaming at his kids then smiled and shook his head. "You had five daughters Maxwell, what'd ya expect?!" he muttered to himself as he tossed the next four junk mail letters into the garbage.

He picked up the package and turned it over slowly, looking for a return address. Seeing none, he curiously opened it and pulled out the letter inside. He glanced at the bottom to see who it was from and was surprised to see the name written there.

"Dinner's ready!" Jenny's voiced called out from the kitchen. "Everyone now! No excuses!"

Joe could hear his kids running for the kitchen and he smiled as he set the letter down and headed for the dinner table.

Jenny and Joe shared a bottle of wine while they listened to the kids talk about everything that happened that day. Dinner took almost an hour but the couple relished this time with their family and they were proud that their kids were equally supportive of one another.

Debbie finally stood and looked down at her watch. "I need to watch the news for a current event topic for a social studies paper."

"I have a test in English to study for," Kelly announced as she finished her milk.

Jenny frowned at her three youngest daughters. "Looks like you three are my work crew…Amy and Maria, clear the table and Brittany will rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher. Joey…you can help Dad take the garbage outside."

The kids rushed to get their chores over with.

Brittany called out to Joe as he stood by the back door with a garbage bag in his hand. "Dad…we've got Algebra homework again…"

"We…" Joe sighed. "Of course _**we**_ do…school ends in 2 weeks, right?"

Jenny rolled her eyes at him and he sighed then walked out followed by Joey.

The two quickly ran the garbage to the back bin racing their way through the small yard. They pushed at one another on their way back inside and were soon held up wrestling in the grass. Laughing hard, Joe walked in with Joey screeching loudly as he tried to wrestle out of the headlock his father had him in.

"Hey babe, I found a sack of potatoes in the yard!"

Jenny laughed. "Yeah, well that sack of potatoes had better grow legs and throw himself into the tub, now!"

Joey rolled his eyes and headed upstairs.

Joe grabbed the last piece of garlic bread right before Brittany picked up the plate to rinse and add it to the dishwasher. She smiled and looked at him hopefully. "Now, Dad?!"

Joe nodded. "Go grab your book and notes and some extra scrap paper. I'll wash up and meet you back in here."

Joe walked through the house and headed to the small bathroom off of the living room. He saw Debbie sitting in his chair watching the news. "Find a good story for your report?"

"Yeah… and it's gonna be a good one! Some police captain was found dead this afternoon in an airport hangar!"

"What?!" Joe gasped.

"Yeah, the story's coming on in a minute…"

Joe's face paled as the pretty blonde reporter came back on screen. "Captain Roy Montgomery from the Twelfth Precinct was found shot to death in the Clemens airport hangar. four additional men, who have yet to be identified, were surrounding the captain. Each of these men had been shot with bullets fired from Montgomery's police issued revolver. Detectives are currently looking for clues to what happened."

Debbie shut off the TV with a smile. "I'm heading to the internet to see if any of the other news channels said any more. Man! I can't believe my luck!"

"You're kidding me, right?!" Joe shouted angrily. "That's just great! You have a report to do! Thank God you had a topic provided for you! Let's just forget the fact that a police officer is dead!"

Debbie's face fell as she realized exactly what she had just said. "I…Dad…I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"You might want to mention that he had a wife and two young girls! You make sure that gets in your damn report!"

Joe never yelled and Debbie was devastated by her insensitivity. His shouts brought the other family members out to see what was going on. Brittany, Amy and Maria looked on from the kitchen doorway while Kelly, Joey and Jenny looked down from the top stairs.

"Joe!" Jenny shouted. "Stop it!"

Shock overtook him as he looked up at Jenny guiltily. His shoulders fell as he looked at over at Debbie who was now crying. He turned dejectedly and walked slowly into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Debbie looked up at her mother in confusion. "Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said…I mean…not like Dad took it…"

Jenny nodded and looked at her other daughter. "Kelly, your brother's clean sheets are sitting on his bed, can you help him make it up please?"

"Okay, Mom."

Jenny kissed Joey's cheek and pushed him towards Kelly. "No video games tonight, instead you can actually _read_ the book you faked your report on!"

Joey's face fell. "All right."

Jenny started to walk down the stairs. "Amy, Maria, upstairs, finish your homework then shower and get right for bed."

Knowing her father had some problem to deal with, Brittany looked up sadly. "Great, what about my Algebra homework? If I don't pass this test I won't play on Saturday."

"I'll help you, Britt," Debbie offered quietly.

Jenny came over and held Debbie's hand as she addressed Brittany. "I want to talk to Deb first, your sister will be up in her room in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Deb, I'll take all my stuff upstairs," Brittany said with relief.

Jenny led Debbie out of earshot of Joe's office. "Tell me what happened?"

Debbie sighed. "I wasn't thinking, Mom. I…was excited about getting a good story for my paper…I didn't mean…"

She began to cry harder and Jenny put her arm around her shoulder. "What was the story about?"

Debbie sniffled and sighed. "They found a police captain this afternoon. He was shot to death in some airport hangar."

Jenny flinched. Knowing how close Joe was to most of the people on the police force, she realized he probably had a close relationship with the man that had been killed. With a sigh, she squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "I know Dad didn't mean to blow up at you. I bet he apologizes later on."

Debbie frowned. "I should be the one to apologize. I was pretty insensitive."

"You're a good kid, you know that?"

Debbie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah…"

Jenny laughed and slapped Debbie's butt playfully. "Go help your sister and please try to keep everyone's noise level down to a low roar."

"Got it, Mom."

Debbie went upstairs while Jenny headed to see what needed to be done in the kitchen.

She was pleasantly surprised and nodded satisfactorily at the job her youngest kids had done. "Good job, kids!" She muttered to herself as she did a quick sweep of the kitchen floor then turned off the lights and headed to the living room.

Grabbing a laundry basket, she put all the stray items her kids left scattered around the room then headed upstairs and placed the basket in the middle of the hallway. "Basket full of treasures! If this stuff's not claimed by the time I come to bed it's going out in the trash!"

Knowing full well that their Mom would do as she said, doors were flung open as all six kids came out to claim there items. Jenny smiled at them and picked up the empty basket and headed towards her room to take a shower.

Joe sat down heavily in the chair in his office. He reached for the paper from the package he opened earlier and looked down at it as he tried to get a hold of his emotions.

He swiped at the tears in his eyes then began to read the letter.

 _Joe,_

 _I've been holding this evidence for over fifteen years and I'm giving it to you as my last official duty as Captain of the 12_ _th_ _. By the time you get this package I'll probably be dead, killed by either Hal Lockwood or one of his men._

 _Know that within these files is information that is bigger than you can ever imagine and that with access to this knowledge you have become a very dangerous man to have around._

 _You have a small window of time to figure all of this out as they'll think I sent this intel to Detective Kate Beckett. She's the best out there, Joe but she's gotten too close to the truth and is next on their list to remove from the picture. Please do what you can to protect her and her team._

 _You won't have much time…if Beckett's out of the picture they'll have time to concentrate on you._

 _The originals of these files have been sent to one last person. Know that he will also be doing everything in his power to end this war._

 _Best of luck to you and your family, Joe. I'm sorry to leave this on you but you were the only one I could trust._

 _Captain Roy Montgomery_

Joe frowned and opened the top file that Montgomery had included in the package.

The past cases were in date order and the hours passed quickly as Joe was taken back in time while he made his way through the files. He read about case after case that the police were unable to solve. Montgomery had made notations with post it notes as to how and when important details were conveniently overlooked by investigating officers.

Joe eventually came across the file of the 15 year old murder of Johanna Beckett. By this time, he had a good idea that the reports on these cases had been doctored and he smirked disgustedly at the poor explanation of a botched robbery attempt that accompanied her paperwork.

"At least I know why this Detective Beckett's so involved…" he muttered to the empty room.

A light tap could be heard and Jenny's voice floated through the closed door. "Joe…"

Joe sighed and shut the open file on his desk. "Yeah, babe."

Jenny came in and smiled as she walked around his desk. "You know it's almost one o'clock , don't you?"

Joe looked with surprise at the clock on the wall. "No, I…didn't know."

"Are you okay, honey?"

"Yeah…"

Knowing her husband as she did, Jenny's shook her head disapprovingly. "Liar…can you tell me about it?"

Joe frowned and shook his head. "No…but I want you to make sure that none of the kids come in this office for any reason…not for tape, scissors, paperclip…nothing!"

The force Joe used to deliver the message surprised her and she readily agreed. "Okay, I promise, I'll keep them out of here…can you take a break, you need to get some sleep…"

"I don't know…"

"Joseph Maxwell, the work will still be here in four hours…come to bed?"

Joe knew she was right and he stood as he nodded. "Okay…"

The couple walked upstairs and Jenny climbed into bed as Joe brushed his teeth then came over to the side of the bed and stripped down to his underwear. He climbed in next to her and sighed loudly as he flung his arm over his eyes.

Jenny came over and snuggled against him as he put his arm around her. "I wish I could help."

"You can…you're here and that helps."

Jenny stretched out along his side and kissed him passionately. Since he was normally the one to initiate sex, Joe was surprised but his body instantly responded to her advance. They made love and for that window of time he was able to forget about the whirlwind of chaos that was sitting on his desk downstairs.

He held his wife until she slept and as hard as he tried to clear his mind to go to sleep, the files on his desk beckoned him. He slipped from their bed, grabbed his bathrobe and headed back to his office. It wasn't long before he was immersed in the cases again.

A few hours later, exhausted, he blinked his eyes and lifted yet another report from the pile. He gasped for breath when he saw it was the investigation of John Moreno's death.

"My God!" Joe exclaimed as he sat up in his chair, instantly awake.

His mind raced with possibilities. He remembered the exact moment from twenty some odd years ago when he became involved in all of this. And over the past years, he never forgave himself for handing the deadly notebook over to Catherine Chandler, he hadn't known that inside was the information that would eventually lead to her death.

Joe flipped Moreno's paperwork over and rubbed his hand over his eyes. He wondered if it would ever get any easier to know that Moreno had turned against him and Catherine.

He thought that time in his life was all behind them. Soon after Catherine's death, Diana Bennett had uncovered a huge conglomerate headed by a man named Gabriel. His power had stretched across the United States and although Joe had thought it had all ended when Diana killed him, he realized that the files in front of him proved that Gabriel was just a pawn in a much greater plan.

Two reports later, the file on Catherine Chandler was in his hand. Joe set it down and sighed, he knew it by heart and he laid his head on his desk and began to cry.

Jenny woke up at 5:00 o'clock like she did everyday. She loved this time alone because she could enjoy her coffee in peace and it gave her an hour to get lunches made and breakfast on the table before her brood headed down for the day.

She frowned at the empty bed next to her and assumed Joe left early for the office. She grabbed her bathrobe and headed downstairs and was surprised to see a light coming from under the office door.

She sighed and went into the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee then headed to see her husband.

"Hey, honey, want a refill?" Jenny said as she pushed open the door to the office. She stopped when she walked in and saw Joe crying. She set the coffee cups on the desk and ran to his side. "Joe?"

Joe quickly covered the files he had opened in front of him then sat back and swiped at his eyes. "Yeah, thanks…"

"Joe…tell me…please!"

"I…can't…."

Jenny frowned and guessed as to why he was so upset. "Does this have to do with the death of the police captain?"

Joe took the easy solution she offered and nodded. "Yeah…just…thinking of his kids and reliving bad memories…"

Jenny kissed him then hugged him to her chest. "Stay home today, I can take off…we can spend the day together…"

"No, I gotta get to work."

"Joe, you're exhausted."

He stood and put the files in order then locked them in a cabinet next to his desk. "The District Attorney doesn't get a day off."

"After twenty years don't you think you deserve it?"

"Yeah…" Joe said sarcastically as he leaned in and kissed her then headed up to shave and shower to get ready for work.

For the next two days, Joe saw very little of his family as he put in sixteen hour days. He spent hour after hour going over the old paperwork but could never link all of it together. He had hundreds of loose ends and no glue to hold it together.

Thankfully it was finally Saturday morning and as exhaustion overtook him, he slept in late that morning. He came down the steps and stopped for a moment, relishing the happy sounds he heard coming from his family having breakfast in the kitchen.

"Hi everyone," he announced as he came into the room.

Jenny laughed and looked around the table at her kids. "Kids…that strange man who just walked into the kitchen is your father."

A chorus of "Hi, Dads," rang out from the kids as Joe sat down to eat. Debbie ran and got him a cup of coffee and Kelly brought him some fresh pancakes. Brittany poured his juice while Amy passed him the butter and Maria handed him the syrup.

Joe chuckled at them and smiled towards Jenny. "I should work long hours all the time if this is how I get treated."

"You do…" Jenny reprimanded lightly.

Joey brought over a half eaten piece of bacon. "Here, Dad."

Joe smiled and took it from him. "Thanks, bud! I can't believe you're sharing your bacon with me!"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "He's already had four pieces."

Joe laughed and looked at Joey. "You did?! How many pancakes did you eat?"

"Four…"

"Four?!" Joe gasped.

Kelly laughed. "You only ate three, Joey, the first one hit the floor, remember?"

Joey's face fell as he remembered. "Oh yeah, I was gonna eat four just like you do, Dad, but Maria was being a jerk and knocked it on the floor."

"I did not! You tried to put it on my head like a hat and when I slapped your hand away you dropped it!"

"That's 'cause you hurt me!"

"Joseph, Jr! That's enough!" Jenny interrupted, stopping the fight before it got out of hand. "You were playing with your food and dropped it…end of story...got it!"

"Got it," Joey said remorsefully.

Debbie came and grabbed his hand. "Let's get you cleaned up, Joey. Brittany's game is in a few hours."

Joe groaned aloud. "Oh no!"

Brittany's face fell as she realized that her dad wasn't going to make it. "Dad! You promised!"

Joe sighed as he looked at her sadly. "I have the policeman's funeral to go to…honey, I'm sorry…I have to go…"

"I know…" Brittany sighed aloud as she tried to control her emotions. Tears came to her eyes, she knew it wasn't his fault but it still hurt that he wouldn't be able to come. "Stupid crooks…"

Joe hugged her tightly. "I am really, really sorry, Britt."

Brittany smiled at him through the tears. "I'll tell you all about it later tonight."

"Deal!" Joe said proudly.

The kids went upstairs to get ready for their various activities and Jenny watched Joe's face fall as the kids left the room.

"Joe…"

"Damn it, Jen…no matter what I do it's always _them_ I have to let down!"

"They understand how important your job is…"

"It's not as important as them."

"No…but…you're helping make the city a safe place for them to grow up in and I think that's pretty important."

"Safe…" Joe chuckled sarcastically. "Father's right…no place up here is safe…"

Jenny laughed at Joe's comment. She and Joe had become close members of the tunnel community a few short months after Catherine's death. Joe was tenacious about finding Catherine's child and Peter finally came clean and told them the entire story. They reacted as expected when they met Vincent but in their shared grief, the three soon became good friends. Joe pulled a few strings and Peter and he were able to get Jacob declared Catherine's son and all of her wealth eventually went to him. Then over the following years Joe's family became an integral part of the community Below.

"Father exaggerates."

"Yeah? Well, I bet the Montgomery family doesn't think it's so safe."

"I wish you had told me, I would have made arrangements to go with you."

"It's okay, the kids need one parent they can rely on. What's your day look like?"

"Well…I'll drop Brittany off at her game then take Debbie and Kelly over to the high school for cheerleading try outs. Amy has to go to band practice at the middle school then Maria has dance. Joey and I will go back to watch Brittany's game and as soon as it's over I'll swing by and get Maria, then Amy and bring them home, Brittany can watch them while I go back after an hour and pick up Debbie and Kelly and get them home. Then I guess I'll make dinner, do some laundry."

"That's ridiculous…I've got to find a reliable car for Debbie and Kelly, they could take over some of the running for you."

He and Jenny had had this conversation several times but Joe had never been able to find the time to car shop.

"You've been busy," Jenny offered sympathetically.

"Jen, your schedule is impossible!"

"It's been impossible since Debbie started her first piano lesson…and it's gotten gradually worse with each kid and each new activity but I'm used to it…I can survive a few more weeks."

Joe smiled endearingly at her. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

Jenny rolled her eyes in disgust. "You're just glad I do this all so you don't have to!"

Joe grew serious as he reached out for her hand and caressed it lovingly. "I'm serious, Jenny, you're doing an awesome job raising these kids. I know I drop the ball too often and I really need you to know how much it means to me to know I can trust that you'll always be there when I can't be. I love you, Jen…I really love you."

"I love you too, Joe." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. You're a wonderful father as often as you can be and you always show the kids how much you love them. That's important and it makes my job a little easier."

Joe gave her a real kiss before Jenny grabbed for the dirty dishes on the table. He stood up and took them from her. "Nope, I've got an hour before I've got to leave. I'll clean up."

Jenny smiled as she headed to round up the kids. "See! That's why you're so easy to love!"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Joe went to the funeral and paid his respects to the widow and her family.

With a heavy heart, he sat by himself in the back row and watched the proceedings. His mood darkened further when he glanced across the cemetery and realized he was about twenty rows away from where Catherine was buried.

He was surprised that Detective Beckett was giving the eulogy and her words settled into the pit of his stomach. His brow furrowed as he watched a tall man near Beckett scream out her name and leap towards her as everyone heard the noise from a gun go off.

He watched in horror as Beckett flinched in pain when the bullet entered her body and the man tackled her, a second too late to stop her from being hit.

Most of the people in the crowd were policemen or family members of policemen and they fell to the ground for cover. Joe continued to watch from his place on the ground as a dark stain quickly grew on Beckett's uniform. The man who screamed her name hovered over her and Joe saw the exact moment she lost consciousness.

A few rows up, Lanie Parish, from the coroner's office and Kate Beckett's best friend was pushing frantically against fellow police officer, Javier Esposito. "Damn it, Javier…you better let me get up, now!"

"Not yet, baby."

"Kate's been hit! I've got to help!"

Esposito looked around and saw that other police officers were already looking around for the shooter. With a sigh, he released her. "Go, but stay low!"

The woman Joe recognized as the Medical Examiner got up from the crowd and ran to Beckett's side.

"Kate!" Lanie said as she ran over and examined the bullet wound. "Damn."

Joe ran to the trunk of his car and got out the first aid kit Jenny always had packed. He saw some towels in one of the kid's gym bags and knew they were clean so he grabbed them then ran back to help.

Joe shoved the items at Lanie who looked at him in surprise. "Thanks, sir."

He looked quizzically at the man who sat holding Beckett's hand and looked desperately at Lanie. "You gotta help her, Lanie. I can't lose her."

Lanie knew there was more to the couple's relationship then either of them had ever admitted to. "I won't let her die, Castle, I promise. Now leave me alone."

Esposito and his partner Kevin Ryan came running up to the group.

"How is she?" Esposito asked.

No one answered him but Lanie looked up and nodded towards Castle and Esposito took the hint.

"Did you see the shooter, Castle?"

Castle was in shock and stood up but never took his eyes off of Detective Beckett.

Trying to snap him out of it; Ryan hit him in the arm. "Castle!" he shouted.

Castle blinked and looked at them. "No…I saw a light flashing behind one of the headstones… when I realized it was the sun gleaming off the scope of a gun, I called out to Kate…I…tried to tackle her but I was too late."

"Where'd you see the scope, Castle?" Esposito grilled him.

"Out there…first row past the service road about two headstones over to the right of the tree."

Ryan ran through the crowd to the area that Castle said. He looked back and Castle nodded his approval. Ryan searched the ground and found the gun and the spent shell. He pointed it out to an officer who came over with an evidence bag. Ryan gave him instructions then walked back up by Castle, Esposito and Joe.

"Found the gun…someone took a lot of time to set this up."

Esposito frowned. "So they knew Beckett would be giving the eulogy and they came here early this morning and set it all up."

"Looks like it…" Esposito agreed.

Castle sighed. "So the shooter could have been standing anywhere just waiting?"

Ryan shrugged. "Yeah, he could have been..."

"Castle!" Laine called out to him as Kate blinked her eyes.

Rick fell to his knees beside Kate and took her hand.

"Rick…"

"I'm here, Kate."

"It hurts."

"I know…I'm sorry, just hang on a little longer the ambulance is pulling up right now."

Kate's eyes closed as she slipped back into the blackness.

Laine and the EMT's stabilized her and got her quickly settled on the gurney. She was loaded in the back of the ambulance within minutes and Rick hovered indecisively behind it.

Laine looked at him as she climbed in with the EMT. "I'll take care of her."

Esposito tapped his shoulder. "C'mon Castle, we'll follow her all the way in."

Castle, Esposito and Ryan hopped in the car and as promised they were never more than thirty feet behind the ambulance. Martha, Castle's mother, and Alexis, Castle's daughter, followed behind them.

Castle sat in the back seat worrying as Ryan called Beckett's father and told him to meet them at the hospital.

Kate's heart stopped and had to be restarted in the ambulance and she was rushed into surgery the second they pushed her into the door of the hospital.

Later, the entire group hovered in the hospital waiting room. Rick paced up and down the hallway until Alexis finally had enough and walked over to hug him.

Joe walked into the room and looked around at the worried faces. "No news?"

Esposito shook his head. "Detective Beckett's in surgery, sir."

Joe nodded gravely then turned to Ryan. "You're Detective Ryan right?"

"Yeah."

"I want a complete report on my desk first thing tomorrow morning. Tell ballistics to compare this to the shells found at Montgomery's scene and as soon as you get the slug outta Beckett get it to them."

"Got it, sir."

Esposito stepped forward. "I'm Detective Javier Esposito."

"I know," Joe smiled.

"If it's all right with you sir, we'd like to stay here until we get some news on Beckett."

"It's fine by me. Just tell the attending to get you that slug."

Castle looked over at Joe curiously. "Hey! Aren't you…"

Joe extended his hand. "Joe Maxwell, I'm the District Attorney and you are…"

"Richard Castle."

Joe cocked his head as he thought for a moment. "That writer? Heat something…right?"

"Yeah, Nikki Heat"

"My wife and oldest daughters love your books."

Rick smiled weakly as he began to pace again. "I'm glad."

Joe nodded then looked over at the two officers. "Look as long as it's gonna be a long wait…Ryan, Esposito…we need to talk."

Both men stepped forward and Ryan clasped Castle on the back. "He's a big part of out team, sir."

Joe blinked in surprise. "Beckett's boyfriend is on your team?"

Castle shook his head to dispel the idea that he and Kate were involved. "I'm not…"

Esposito laughed as he interrupted him. "Castle's all right, sir. He's been following us around for awhile doing research for his books…but I've got to give him credit…his ingenuity and imagination have helped more than a few times on some really hard cases."

Joe stood quietly, trying to decide what to do when Ryan walked up. "Captain Montgomery was okay with him…"

Joe finally shrugged. "All right, whatever…let's go in the room next door."

The four men walked into the room and quickly took chairs.

Leery about trusting anyone, Joe sighed and proceeded cautiously with the men. "I was…um…wondering if any of you know of any reason why Detective Beckett was singled out today?"

The three men exchanged glances then looked away as they all thought back to the meeting they had earlier in the day with Beckett…none of them were willing to disclose any of their findings.

When Joe met with silence he shook his head. "Look…Beckett's still in danger unless we get to the guy who ordered this hit…" None of the men spoke and Joe got up to pace the floor. "You guys are her partners and Castle…you look at her like she hung the moon! I can't believe that none of you can come up with one lead…" Again there was silence and Joe finally exploded in anger. "Are you just gonna leave her lying in a hospital bed like a sitting duck?! If you guys think you're protecting her let's remember she just got shot in broad daylight at a cemetery full of trained officers. You think a detail standing outside of her hospital room is gonna be enough protection with a trained killer after her?"

Esposito frowned when he realized Joe was right but he was still suspicious. "Who said it was a trained killer after her?"

Joe rolled his eyes with disgust. "That was Hal Lockwood lying on the ground next to Montgomery wasn't it? Whoever could afford to hire a gun like Lockwood certainly can find a replacement gun in a day or two…Now…are you three gonna keep withholding the truth from me?"

Castle looked up at him. "You'll forgive me if I don't trust so easily…the DA's office hasn't exactly been known for its honest men…weren't you the assistant in the late 80's when Moreno took a dive?"

"How'd you find out about that?" Joe asked suspiciously.

"Research for one of my books…"

"Yeah, well…I had nothing to do with that…" Joe defended.

Esposito frowned as he searched his memory. "You were also the DA what five or six years later when that rap went down with McClosky."

"McClosky was convicted by me!" Joe sighed.

Esposito shook his head disgustedly. "Yeah…that's what the papers said anyway."

"Look! I've been the DA for eighteen years and in that time more criminals have been convicted and put into the system than in the entire history of this city."

"Is this an election year?" Castle snorted sarcastically. "Cause it sounds like you're campaigning."

Joe scowled and leaned forward. "Here's the facts as I see them, writer boy, you three were all with Detective Beckett, and none of you were able to keep her safe."

"If I get another chance, I won't let her down again," Castle said quietly.

Disgusted, Joe pulled back and crossed his arms across his chest. "Castle…I have some official police business to discuss with these officers…" He motioned with his head towards the door. "If you don't mind…"

Castle made to protest but could tell by Joe's attitude that his mind wasn't going to be changed. He looked over at Esposito and Ryan then left the room.

Joe turned back to face the two detectives. "Trust me or not, we've got to protect Beckett…I know of a place…a safe place…we can take her there until she's recovered."

Esposito rolled his eyes with disgust. "You just told us that place didn't exist anywhere, now you want us to trust that _**you**_ know of a safe house."

"It's not a house…it's a small community…they're good people there and they help one another…"

"Then it's not in this city!" Ryan laughed then frowned at Joe's evasive look. "Is it? In the city?"

Joe blew out a long breath. "Not exactly…"

Esposito blew up angrily. "Not exactly?! How the hell we supposed to trust you when you say shit like that?!"

Joe struggled to come up with the right words. "This place…this community is…special…it operates by itself with some outside helpers." Ryan's brows flew up in surprise as he listened to Joe more carefully. "Even if you agree to let me take Beckett there, I'd have to get permission from their council to bring her there."

"A council?" Esposito snorted. "Great, this joker wants us to throw Beckett into a cult!"

Ryan cocked his head curiously at Joe and took a chance. "This place…that's _not exactly_ in the city…I think I may know it."

Joe looked at him distrustfully. "Yeah…you think so?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I'm just wondering if it's the same place…"

Joe shrugged as he muttered. "I doubt it."

Ryan knew if he and Joe were talking about the same place that Beckett would in fact be safe there, but he proceeded extra cautiously. "This place you know…what can you tell me about it?"

"Not a lot…but I have very good friends there and I can promise you they will take great care of Beckett."

Ryan's mind flew to something he could ask of Joe that wouldn't reveal too much. "Hey…um…this place…does it have a big party in January?"

It was Joe's turn to be curious, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"So anyone can go?" Ryan asked.

Joe narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "No, it's by special invitation…"

Ryan smiled and nodded as he hoped to trip Joe up. "This invitation…it comes in the mail, right?"

"No…its hand delivered…"

"Yeah…go on…"

"A candle…you get a candle if you're invited."

"What color?"

Joe smiled as he looked curiously at Ryan. "Orange and white."

Ryan nodded as he broke out in a huge grin and looked at his partner "I think we should trust him."

"What?! Cause he told you about some party?!"

"Yeah!"

Esposito looked at Ryan with surprise. "No joking…"

"No joking."

Esposito sat back in his chair and folded his hands together then looked back at Ryan and nodded. "All right…but this is on you, Kevin! Something goes wrong it's on you."

Ryan knew his partner was serious when he used his first name. "Yeah…I know."

Joe stood up. "I'll see if I can arrange it. As soon as Beckett's stable, we'll move her."

Esposito thought of the man outside whom he was certain was frantically pacing and he scowled. "Look…I don't mean to throw a wrench in the plan but some secret community? Castle will never let you take her there…she'll be vulnerable to…"

Joe interrupted him angrily. "You know what? I don't care…Castle's in just as much danger as Beckett. She's going to have to be strong enough to get rid of him…keep him away from all of this."

Esposito shook his head. "I don't know if she'll do it…"

Joe shrugged. "It's between life and death…possibly Castle's…if she cares about him at all…she'll do it."

Castle ran back into the room. "The doctor's coming…" he called out then went back into the hallway.

The men followed him out where the surgeon was standing with Jim Beckett, Kate's father.

"You're her father?" they overheard the surgeon ask.

"Yes," Jim answered as Castle ran up and stood by him. "This is Rick Castle, Kate's uh…" He stopped, unable to give a name to the complicated relationship his daughter had with Castle.

The doctor nodded towards the two men. "The truth…Kate had to be resuscitated twice, once in the ambulance and once on the table. I won't lie to you, it was touch and go several times and I'm not sure about how the lack of oxygen has affected her. She's finally stabilized and she's being taken to recovery. You can see her in a few minutes but she's heavily sedated and I don't want you to stay too long."

"Thank you, doctor." Jim said as he smiled and shook the doctor's hand.

Everyone gathered around was hugging one another but Castle sat down beside her father.

"Its great news, sir…"

Lanie walked up and took Jim's hand. "The hard part is yet to come…" The two men looked at her curiously as Lanie continued. "She's gonna have to rest. I mean flat on her back…butt in bed rest…"

Jim stood and began to pace. "We're in trouble…Kate was impossible as a child to keep quiet…"

Castle smiled endearingly. "Maybe she'll listen to you now…"

Jim laughed aloud. "Not to me….but…maybe to you…"

"Me?!"

"Yeah, I've seen the way Kate looks at you when she thinks no one is watching and I've seen that look before...from across the room at a crowded party when her mother would look for me and finally catch my eye."

Castle shook his head. "With all due respect, I think you may be mistaken…"

Jim shrugged as a nurse came up. "Only two visitors may see her at this time and the doctor would like it limited to five minutes."

Jim turned back to Castle. "Let's go…"

Castle looked at the others and each of them nodded their assent to him so he followed Jim and the nurse to the room Kate was in.

Joe looked over at Ryan and Esposito. "I need to go check on that place I spoke of earlier."

Ryan nodded to Esposito. "I'm gonna go with him to check it out…make sure it's the place I'm thinking of…"

Esposito nodded. "Okay…Lanie and I will stay here and keep an eye on Beckett. Call Edwards and O'Malley and get them to take night shift."

Ryan agreed as he looked at Joe. "They'd be the best choice."

"Beat cops…" Joe frowned. "What precinct?"

Esposito piped up. "They're with us at the twelfth…new guys that just worked their way up but they're good…"

Joe nodded and turned to Ryan. "All right…let's go…"

Out of earshot of everyone else, the two men turned to one another.

"Spill it, Ryan." Joe commanded.

Ryan looked at him suspiciously "First, tell me the name of the holiday with the orange and white candle."

"Winterfest."

Ryan broke into a huge grin. "That'd be it!"

Joe smiled incredulously. "When did you get involved?"

"Always…I was born there…Pascal is my uncle."

"What?!"

"Yeah, he and my mom were brother and sister."

"I don't believe it!"

Ryan looked around and headed to the nearest entrance to the world Below. "C'mon I'll tell you the whole story on the way…"

He and Joe headed towards the tunnels and once they were safely inside Ryan continued with his story. "Pascal and my mom were born here. At sixteen, my mom fell in love with one of the helpers sons. My Grandfather didn't approve but my Mom moved Above anyway. They got married and I came along years later. My mom got cancer and passed away when I was five. My dad had to work swing shift so after school at St. Thomas' I would come home then either stay there or head Below depending on his shift."

"So…you were about Kipper's age?"

"Uh, huh…and Samantha and Eric and Jeffery's. How about you? When did you find out about this place?"

Joe sighed aloud. "Catherine Chandler was my co worker."

"Catherine..." Ryan searched his memory then looked at him with surprise. "Vincent's Catherine?"

"Yeah…after we found out about her death it was discovered she had a child right before she died, I searched high and low for that kid. One of my special agents found him and brought him to Vincent then lied to me about it. The whole thing didn't sit right with me and I kept asking about the baby. I finally had to throw Peter Alcott into jail to get the truth from him. He came clean and after swearing us to secrecy, brought me and Cathy's best friend, Jenny, Below to meet everyone. Vincent made Jenny and I Jacob's godparents and she and I eventually fell in love and got married."

"Wow!"

"Yeah…"

"You've been helpers ever since?"

"Good friends is more like it…Vincent's my eldest daughter Debbie's godfather…we've spent a lot of time Below since we've had the kids, It's nice…there's always someone here the kids can play with."

"Yeah…how many kids you got?"

"Six."

"Six?!"

"Five daughters then we finally had a son."

"You done now?"

Joe laughed. "I was done about three kids ago; my wife on the other hand…"

Ryan bent over and grabbed a rock then tapped out a message on a pipe. He looked guiltily at Joe. "Sorry…I should've asked if you wanted to let them know we were coming."

Joe grinned. "You're kidding me right, I never learned that stuff. I let my one of my kids do it for me…"

Ryan held up a finger to silence Joe as he listened to the message coming over the pipes. "I told Vincent we needed to speak to him; he's waiting in his chamber."

Joe sighed. "Lead the way…"

Ryan looked at him curiously and laughed. "No idea how to get there, huh?"

"None…I'm down here and after a few quick turns I'm lost."

They made it to Vincent's chamber in less than ten minutes.

Joe walked in first with a big smile. "Hey big guy!"

Vincent smiled then took Joe's extended hand and shook it warmly. "Joe, good to see you…" He looked over at Ryan and smiled. "And you too, Kevin."

The two men hugged briefly. "Hey, Vincent."

"It's been a long time…"

Ryan nodded ruefully. "Too long."

"You've been missed…"

"I've missed everyone here as well."

Vincent gestured to his table and chairs. "Sit, please. Can I get you some tea…or…"

"Nothing for me, Vincent," Ryan interrupted.

"Me, either," Joe replied grimly.

Vincent nodded and sat down. "Judging by the looks on both of your faces I can see that something weighs heavily. Tell me…"

Ryan nodded his assent to Joe, who took a deep breath and began.  
"A police chief was recently murdered."

"Yes, I read about it but if I remember correctly five men were gunned down that night…"

"Yeah…We have reason to believe the captain's death is tied to something much bigger than some penny ante crime. One of the men lying next to him was a hired gun…one of the best."

"It definitely arouses one's suspicions," Vincent nodded.

Joe scowled. "At the Captain's funeral today, another officer was targeted. A woman, Detective Kate Beckett, was shot while giving his eulogy."

Vincent cocked his head curiously to the side as he tried to read between the lines. "What is it you wish of us, Joe?"

"Beckett's expected to make a full recovery but she needs a place to heal…a safe place."

Vincent knew what they asked and began to pace. "It's unusual circumstances, gentlemen…"

Ryan leaned forward. "Vincent, she'll die up there…they'll get to her somehow…she just needs to be stronger…two…three weeks at the most."

"How well do you know this woman?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'm with her everyday."

"Can she be trusted?"

"She's my boss, my partner and I would trust her with our lives."

"Your partner…is it still Javier…Esposito wasn't it?"

Ryan was surprised Vincent remembered. "Yeah."

Vincent sat again and stared at the ground quietly contemplating the problem. He knew his friends wouldn't be asking if they weren't desperate to get her to safety. "I'll take it to the council."

Ryan stood and smiled. "That's all we can ask. I'm going to go see my Uncle."

All three men knew Pascal served on the council and Vincent rolled his eyes. "I'll give you time to speak with him…I'll call for everyone to meet in the library in half an hour."

Ryan took off and Joe smiled at Vincent. "Thanks."

"You still have more people to convince."

Joe nodded. "Maybe we can talk to Father ahead of time."

Vincent stood and led the way as the two headed to the library. "Father…" he said as he found his parent sitting in a chair, wrapped in a warm thick blanket.

Father looked up from his book. "Vincent and Joe! It's good to see you!"

Joe walked over and held his hand. "Good to see you too, Father. How've you been?"

Father shrugged. "These old bones have more aches and pains but I'm guessing you didn't come here to hear about that did you?"

"No."

"Father, Joe's here to ask the council for sanctuary for one of his detectives. She needs a place to recover from a gun shot wound."

Father looked at Joe and knew instantly that there was more to the story than he had let the others believe. "What is this really about, Joe?"

Knowing he was caught, Joe hung his head. "That _is_ what it's about…but you're right…there _is_ more I haven't told anyone yet…Vincent, will you take a seat? What I have to say concerns you."

Vincent came over and sat down slowly. "Go ahead, Joe."

Joe blew out a long breath. "Montgomery was the police chief that was killed recently," he said for Father's benefit. "Before he was killed he sent me a package. In it were police reports documenting years of police cover-ups. Murders that were written off but were actually organized hits. The woman who I want to bring Below had a mother who was killed fifteen years ago; her file was included with that paperwork."

"Fifteen years is a long time to cover up crimes." Father said.

"Yeah," Joe frowned. "Imagine my surprise when I saw files that dated back longer than that…" His voice lowered and trailed off.

Knowing his friend so well, Vincent's head shot up and he looked at Joe suspiciously. "How much longer, Joe?"

Joe knew that Vincent had guessed and he nodded "Her file was with them."

Vincent shot from is seat and began to pace the room while Father needed clarification. "Catherine's file?"

"Yes."

Father shook his head in shock. "So you believe that the same people that killed Catherine continued their killing spree over the span of twenty years?"

"That's what it looks like…I need help to sort through it all…I need Kevin and his partner, and I need Detective Beckett."

Vincent was strangely quite as he paced the room then suddenly whipped around. "Call off the meeting…the decision's been made…Joe, we'll need to make plans to get Detective Beckett Below."

Father knew that with this new found information, the tunnel council would only be able to vote one way; so he agreed with the decision. "Yes…"

Vincent tapped out a message summoning Ryan to his chamber and he and Joe settled into chairs to wait for him to show up.

Ryan was there a short time later. "What's going on?"

"There will be no meeting." Father announced gruffly.

Ryan asked angrily. "Why not? Why isn't this going to council?"

Vincent motioned to a chair. "Because the decision has been made…sit…please."

Ryan plopped in the indicated chair. "I don't even get to speak…that's bull…"

"Kevin!" Vincent interrupted. "The decision to allow Detective Beckett to come Below is yes."

"Oh…" Ryan said quietly.

Joe leaned forward. "All right, what do we do?"

Vincent shrugged. "We've done this a time or two before, Joe. One case you may remember is Elliot Burch's father…"

Joe thought back and looked up with surprise. "That was you?"

"Yes."

"Damn!"

Vincent smiled. "As soon as Kevin's friend says Detective Beckett is stable, we'll make our move."

Joe looked at Ryan. "I'll need to speak to Beckett first. She has to blow off that Castle guy…she has to put him off."

"She will," Ryan assured.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it but if Castle gets in the way…"

"He won't…now let's get back to the plan…what time should we do this?"

Vincent started first. "1:00 am is best. The night shift has already started and acquainted themselves with their patients and by then they'll have settled down into their paperwork."

"Back staircase?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. We'll have Jacob and Kipper meet her…help her down. I'll stay Below and help them get her safely inside. You and Javier provide a distraction, this will take the focus off of both of you."

"How the hell do we do that?"

Vincent shrugged while Joe frowned then shrugged as he sighed. "Think of something…how about coming in drunk after a night of drowning your sorrows?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "That's lame!"

"Do you have a better idea, Kevin?" Vincent asked.

Ryan sighed. "No…"

Joe nodded. "I'll put out the word that she went to recuperate at an Aunt's house out of town."

Ryan frowned. "Castle will think she dumped him."

Joe shrugged. "I can't worry about that right now…tell me what you'll need to come down here and work while she recovers."

"Esposito and I will copy the files we have at work."

"Don't bother…I…um…have copies of everything we'll need."

"Then I guess just an erasable board, markers, someplace quiet to work."

Joe nodded. "Okay…we'll give Beckett 2 to 3 weeks to recover…then we'll meet at 8:00 every night and compare notes…come up with…"

"Something?"

"Yeah."

Vincent stood and walked to his door. "You'll have the things you need.

Let me know when she's stable."

Vincent left and Ryan looked incredulously at Joe. "What happened tonight? How'd you sway the vote?"

Joe thought of Catherine and the pain that remembering the past brought back. "I have reason to believe that the same people that caused Johanna Beckett's death caused Catherine Chandler's death as well."

Ryan's face fell. "Oh, man…"

"Yeah." Joe stated. "Let's go see about Beckett."

Beckett was sleeping when they got back to the hospital.

"How is she?" Ryan asked Lanie.

"Stable…she's sleeping…probably until tomorrow."

Joe nodded. "Okay, put a detail at her door then everyone go home, get some sleep, tomorrow's coming fast."

Everyone left the hospital and Ryan sent word Below that tomorrow night would be the night they bought Beckett Below.

Joe came to the hospital first thing in the morning and nodded at the officers as he showed his credentials and walked inside her room.

Beckett looked pale and weak as she sat upright in her bed but she still looked up at him curiously.

"Detective."

"Sir."

"I'm District Attorney…"

"I know who you are, sir." Beckett interrupted.

Joe smiled. "Good. Detective Beckett…can I call you Kate?" She nodded so he continued. "I have reason to believe that you have been made the target for a professional hit. Do you know anything about that?"

Beckett looked down guiltily and shrugged. "Maybe."

"Really? You think _**maybe**_ you were the target?"

She looked up at him and he could see the fear in her eyes that she was so admirably trying to hide.

"I know you don't know me, Kate, but I have a place I'd like you to go. It's a…sort of safe house. Ryan knows of it and will vouch for the people there. It'll give you a chance to heal safely…"

"Sir, with all due respect, I can take care of myself and…"

Joe chuckled as he stood and paced the room. "No…no, you can't…I know it…you know it…and whoever tried to kill you knows it. I also know you won't endanger your father or Castle by staying with either of them while you recover."

She gasped at the truth of his statement. She _knew_ that she wasn't strong enough to recover on her own. She _had_ thought of her Dad and Castle and knew that she loved each of them too much to put them in any danger by taking care of her while she was being hunted by a professional killer.

Knowing he had nailed it on the head, Joe sat back down in a chair. "Kate, I want you back up on your feet ASAP and I don't want to have to worry every hour of every day that someone's gonna get in here or your apartment and get to you. Talk to Ryan if you need to but I'd like this to happen tonight…you interested?" He watched her come to the realization that he was offering her a good deal and nodded. "You'll have to do something about your boyfriend…"

"Josh won't bother me if I ask him to leave me alone, I've been planning on breaking it off with him for awhile, now is probably as good a time as any."

Joe shook his head in confusion. "I'm not sure who Josh is but I was talking about Castle."

"Castle's not my boyfriend!"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Whatever…I don't have time to watch you to dance around your feelings, but I can guarantee _he_ won't go away quietly. If you don't get him out of the picture, he's in as much danger as you." Joe could tell she was wavering and he frowned. "Let me remind you Detective that Castle is not a trained officer...he's a writer…a good one…but still just a writer…and this is a professional hit man we're dealing with."

Beckett sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'll call and ask him to come here; I'll ask him for space."

"That'll work…" Joe spat out sarcastically, "Have you seen the way that guy looks at you?"

She looked down and hid the tears that came to her eyes. She could still see him hovering over her, telling her he loved her as the pressure from his hand stopped the blood from flowing from her body. "We argued not too long ago…things were kinda strained…I'll put him in his place…he'll back off."

"Okay…look…I'm sorry it has to be this way but rest up, tonight around 1:00, we're getting you out of here."

Three hours later, Castle came to see Beckett at the hospital. She asked him for space and he nodded and walked out. Later that afternoon, she broke up with Josh.

The rest of the day, she lay in her bed and thought about the shooting. When she finally fell asleep, she dreamed about Castle.

Kate slept off an on all day. Her father came in around dinnertime.

"Hi, Dad."

"Katie, how are you feeling?"

"Good, Dad…really. The doctor said I could get out soon."

"It's too soon…"

"He said it would be all right as long as I take it easy."

Jim nodded. "Okay, you can stay with me in your old room."

Unable to look at him while she lied, Kate lowered her eyes. "No…I…um…am going to recover at Castle's…Martha and Alexis are almost always home and…"

"Castle's mom and daughter offered to help you out?"

"Yeah, I guess it's one of those times I just need another girl…"

Jim patted her hand. "I understand…"

"Thanks…I'll keep in touch…"

"I know you will, besides, Martha seems pretty strong willed…she'll make you rest!"

"Yeah…" she smiled weakly.

They visited for another hour or so and Jim left. Kate looked at the clock on the wall and sighed as she settled back to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At 1:00 on the dot, Ryan & Esposito came in as planned and pretending to be drunk, argued loudly with the nurse on duty. The two officers guarding Kate's door came over to talk some sense into them.

Joe slipped in and helped Kate to her feet then shuffled her out the door and across the hall to the stairwell. He supported her down the staircase and two levels down stopped to slip off her slippers and place a pair of gym shoes on her feet. Two more levels and they were in the basement and making their way to a storage door.

Assuming they were headed to a car, Kate balked in fear then jerked in his arms and started to fight. "No!"

Joe held her tight in his arms. "Kate, I promise…I won't let you get hurt."

Fear had overtaken her; but in her weakened state, he overpowered her and she shook in defeat. He pulled them into the closet and closed the door then quickly opened a hidden door in the back.

She stopped struggling as she looked on curiously. Behind the door stood two men, one was smaller than Kate and had thick glasses and the other was in his twenties.

The man with the glasses stepped forward. His hand was extended and he had a welcoming smile on his face. "Hi, Kate, my name is Eric, and I'm the doctor here Below. How are you doing?"

"Um…okay."

The young man stepped forward. "And I'm Jacob Wells. I guess I'm part of the welcoming committee…Uncle Joe here asked me to come and make sure you got settled in."

"Uncle?" Kate wondered aloud.

"Not really…" Joe smiled. "Can we continue to walk?"

Beckett nodded raggedly as she held her stomach. "Yeah."

After a block, she began to breathe heavily. Jacob called out and within minutes, three men came forward with a stretcher on long poles.

Eric leaned in and touched her arm. "I know it's unconventional, but with four of them the walk will be smooth; and I promise you, we don't have to go far."

Beckett sighed and lay down on the stretcher. As promised, the walk was smooth and within twenty minutes she was being settled into a huge double bed. She looked around curiously at what she could best describe as a prettily decorated…cave.

Eric checked her vitals and promised to check back with her in a few hours.

Finally alone, Beckett curiously looked at Joe. "Sir?"

"This place?" Joe chuckled at her. "It's overwhelming…"

"Unbelievable is more like it!"

"Yeah...that too!"

"I can't believe I'm in a bed in a cave!"

"Chambers…they call them chambers down here."

Joe spent the next hour explaining to her all about the world Below. Eric popped in one last time and promised that someone would check in on her periodically throughout the night.

Beckett smiled at him. "Thanks, but I'll probably just sleep."

Joe stood after Eric left. "I need to get home, too. I'll be by first thing in the morning. Detective Beckett…Kate…I promise you you'll be safe here."

She nodded gratefully as she decided to trust him. "Thank you."

Beckett slept until late the next day. She blinked her eyes in confusion as her mind registered where she was. She looked over to see a girl of about nine standing in the doorway. "Hello?"

"Hi."

The girl came in carrying a tray, on it was a coffee pot, a mug, and cream and sugar. Beckett sat up as the girl poured the coffee and handed her a cup.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. My name's Tiffany."

"Hi, Tiffany, my name's Kate."

Tiffany uncovered a small plate with a blueberry muffin and a banana muffin. "Vincent told me to ask if you would like something more than this…so would you…like something more?"

Kate smiled at the sweet girl. "No, thank you."

Jacob came into the chamber and looked at the girl and caressed her head lovingly. "Thank you, Tiffany, you can go now."

"Okay, Jake."

The girl skipped out as he turned to face Kate. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Kate blushed. "It's so dark here…I…lost track of time…"

Jacob smiled and handed her a long gown. "I'm kidding, sleep is the best medicine...if you feel up to it, I brought you this to wear." Jacob handed her a dark brown gown that had bright yellow stitching on the collar. "It'll have to do until Kevin brings me some of your clothes, he said maybe later today."

"It's okay," Kate said as she took the gown. "This will be fine."

"I thought you might like to walk a bit, build up your strength."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

She went behind a screen and shrugged out of her hospital gown then slipped into the long gown. She took a moment to indulge in the soft fabric that floated down her lithe body. She stepped around the corner and looked at Jacob nervously. "Okay."

He led her through the tunnels towards the dining chamber. "It's almost lunch. People will be eating and you can meet some of them."

Kate was surprised at how warmly she was welcomed. Some of the older women fussed over her and she began to relax and enjoy herself.

After an hour, Kate was starting to tire, and Jacob walked her back to her chamber. He taught her how to tap out a message and told her someone would come if she needed help.

Kate blew out all but one of the candles in the room then settled into her bed. She had a hard time getting comfortable, and she tossed and turned restlessly.

"Would you like me to read to you?"

Kate turned to look in the direction she heard the soft gravely voice. "Read to me?"

"Yes."

"Like…a book?"

"Yes."

"I haven't been read to since I was 7."

"It will help you relax."

Kate stared into the darkness but could only make out an imposing shape in the doorway. "Who are you?"

"My name is Vincent."

"I can't see you."

"That's best, Detective Beckett. My appearance can be frightening."

Kate chuckled. "I've been a cop in New York for what seems like a million years, not much frightens me any more."

Vincent ignored her and sat in a chair in the shadows and lit a small candle. It kept his unusual features hidden in the shadows but it gave enough light for him as he opened a book and began to read.

His soothing voice had the desired effect and Kate was soon asleep.

Jacob repeated the same routine later that night, and he and Kate had a nice dinner with the people from the community.

Again, the next day, Vincent came to her and read. This time she stayed awake longer and got swept away in the story.

She yawned and Vincent finished the chapter then closed the book. "You should rest."

"Seems like that's all I'm doing."

"That's good; it will help with the healing."

He stood and Kate squinted to get a look at him. "Thanks, Vincent."

"You're welcome. If you need anything through the night, just tap the message Jacob taught you."

"Okay."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Detective."

"Call me Kate."

"Goodnight, Kate."

This pattern was repeated for the next few days. Kate had never felt so pampered since before her mother had been killed.

Jacob had taken her on longer walks and her strength was returning quickly. One day, she overdid it and walked too far and that night was in a lot of pain. Vincent's soothing voice lulled her and she settled in for long night's sleep.

The next morning, Kate woke to the sound of gunfire in the tunnel way.

She leapt to her feet and dressed quickly then ran to the doorway where she cowered at the sounds she heard and her mind raced with all the possibilities.

Thinking the killers were coming after her, she slipped into the tunnel way and headed in the direction she thought she and Jacob took yesterday. It wasn't long before she was hopelessly lost and the tunnel she was in was no longer lit. She heard gunfire ring out behind her and headed into the darkest tunnel to her left.

A few levels up from her, several adults from the community came running from all different tunnels at the same time.

Cullen roughly grabbed one of the older boys. "Justin! What the hell are you doing?"

Justin's face fell. "I…we…saved our money and bought a brick of firecrackers."

Vincent bent down in front of the child. "Justin, you know we don't allow fireworks Below. They're too dangerous and…"

Frantic tapping came over the pipes, one of the sentries was reporting that Kate was headed down a dark tunnel way towards the Abyss.

Vincent took off running full speed towards the Abyss. He took several short cuts and made it in front of where Kate was last reported seen.

Kate stopped when she heard heavy panting coming from up ahead in the darkness. She slowly started to back away and turned to run when a tall shadow emerged and grabbed her. She screamed and struggled until strong arms immobilized her.

"Kate…you're safe…Kate!"

Vincent's words finally penetrated through her fear and she stopped struggling.

"Vincent?!"

"Yes."

"They found me! We've got to get help! We've got to find everyone and get them out of here!"

"Kate…you're mistaken…"

"No! Damn it, Vincent. I heard gun shots…"

"No, Kate…what you heard was fireworks…one of the children brought firecrackers Below."

"Firecrackers?"

"Yes, but down here the sound becomes distorted…"

"I thought…" Kate held her hands against her rib cage then collapsed against him and started to cry.

"I know," Vincent said as he automatically put his arms around her to offer his comfort. "Let's get you back to your chamber."

Kate leaned heavily on him as they walked. When they got to a part of the tunnels that had better lighting she turned to him. "Thanks…" She sucked in a breath and stumbled.

Vincent steadied her with his arm. "Be careful."

Kate stared at him and tried not to show her shock at his appearance. She looked away quickly to gather her thoughts.

"Kate…" she looked back at him as he spoke. "It's all right to be startled."

She smiled at him weakly. "I'm sorry…I…"

"Didn't know…I know...I'm sorry you were shocked…now let's get you back to your room."

Vincent held her as they walked. She clung to him as the exhaustion overtook her. Finally, he turned and picked her up to carry her. Kate rested her head against his shoulder as she gasped at the pain in her chest.

Vincent carried her through the tunnels and set her down on the gurney in the hospital chamber. He quickly went over and tapped a message to Eric.

Father stepped into the chamber shortly after the message went over the pipes. "Vincent…"

"Father, what are you doing here?"

"I'm not so old that I can't hear a call for medical attention."

"Jacob and Eric will be here soon."

"Yes well, let me take a look at our patient until then." He stopped and looked at the strange woman in front of him. "Who are you?"

"Kate Beckett."

"She's the one who needed our help?" Father addressed Vincent who nodded as Father frowned at Kate. "What happened to you?"

"I was shot, sir. The bullet nicked my pulmonary artery but they stitched it up. I'm here to recover."

Father grumbled as he grabbed gloves. "Of course and you thought running through dark tunnels was good therapy?"

Vincent stood by his side as he explained. "Some of the children brought fireworks Below, Kate thought we were under attack."

Father unlaced the front of her gown and Vincent turned away while he examined her stitches. "Looks like everything is still in place." He reapplied bandages and nodded his assent.

Kate sighed with relief as she sat up and redid the lacings. "Thank you, I didn't mean to be a problem."

"You are not a problem," Vincent said.

Kate sighed as weariness overtook her. "Could I go to my chamber…I'd like to rest."

"That's a good idea," Father said.

Vincent helped Kate to her chamber and made sure she was settled into bed.

"Vincent, I don't even know how to begin to thank you…"

"There's no need, Kate. You should try to rest."

Kate shook her head. "I'm too wound up…will you stay and talk with me for awhile?"

"If you wish…"

Kate settled back and stared at him. "Vincent, you fascinate me…tell me how you came to be down here."

Vincent spent the next half hour telling her about how he was found and brought Below. He proceeded to tell her about growing up in the tunnels and all of the people that were involved with their community, he eventually got to the story of how Jacob was raised."

"What about Jacob?"

"What would you like to know?"

Kate looked at him curiously. "Is he really your son?"

"Yes."

"Who…I mean…"

Vincent sighed as he smiled. It still hurt him but he told her all about Catherine and the love they once shared. He went into her kidnapping and eventual death and how he recovered Jacob from Gabriel's clutches.

Kate's jaw dropped as the story unfolded. "My God, Vincent! I am so sorry!"

Vincent shrugged. "It's in the past…Catherine's gone and I've led my life with the sole purpose of raising Jacob to the best of my abilities."

"You did a good job, he's a great kid."

"Thank you. How about you, Kate?"

"How about me?"

"I sense an underlying sadness in you…something is driving you on your path through life."

Kate nodded and told him the story of her mother's death. She included her feelings on growing up without a mother and then told him what sent her to the academy then eventually drove her to become one of the city's top detectives. She finished her story and was physically as well as emotionally drained.

Vincent stood and looked down at her. "I'm guessing you'll be able to rest now."

"I am exhausted."

"I'll leave you to sleep then…"

"Vincent, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Vincent left the room and Kate smiled as she thought about the friendship they had created.

Joe came down to visit Kate to try to come up with a schedule so they could start work on the case.

He found Kate asleep and headed to find Vincent.

Vincent looked up from his book when Joe entered the library.

"Joe…"

"Hey, Vincent. I just came by to see Detective Beckett."

"She's sleeping right now."

"Yeah, I peeked in her chamber then came here. How's she doing?"

Vincent shrugged. "Physically her body is healing quickly. She's getting a lot of rest and eating well."

Joe frowned and picked up immediately on the unsaid words. "Physically? What about mentally?"

"She's gone through a very traumatic experience, Joe. It's going to take time…"

"Yeah, but she's a trained officer…"

Vincent sighed and shook his head. "Some of the children broke the rules and brought firecrackers Below and set them off…"

"Must've sounded like gunfire down here!" Joe laughed then the realization dawned on him and his face fell. "How'd she react?"

"How could she react? She ran in terror…I caught up to her near the Abyss…if she had gotten any further…"

"She'd be dead…Thank God you caught up with her…"

"She was only marginally frightened by my appearance," Vincent smiled ruefully. "But the sound of gun shots…created pure terror in her. Does that sound like someone who is having trouble dealing with her trauma?"

Joe stood up. "Tell her I stopped by. I'm gonna tell Esposito and Ryan we have to back off for awhile. I'll have to get her to some psychiatric counseling…"

"She should be ready in a few more weeks…"

"Can she stay here that long, Vincent?"

"Kate's welcome here for as long as she needs to be."

Joe squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Thanks, Vincent."

Kate slept late into the afternoon. She got up and took a candle with her and found her way to the dining chamber. It was much easier to do when she wasn't panicking. She looked around the room and found Vincent at a table with Father and the woman she thought was named Mary.

Vincent motioned for her to come over and Kate smiled as she started across the room.

Eric stepped in front of her. "Kate?"

"Eric, hi."

"I heard about your adventure. Are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you."

"If you need me to check your stitches or…"

"No, Father did that for me and he said everything looked good. Luckily I didn't do any damage on my hysterical flight through the tunnels."

Jacob stepped into the conversation. "The children who brought the fireworks Below are on kitchen duty all week. I'm sure you'll be getting an apology at one of your meals."

"Not necessary. It was my imagination that did the most damage."

Kate smiled and turned to find Vincent standing behind her.

"Let me show you how to get something to eat here."

He led her to the long banquet table where the food was placed.

Kate laughed as she grabbed a tray. "It's like a cafeteria.

Vincent nodded. "It's the only way to feed the amount of people that live here."

Kate made her way down the table and grabbed a small portion of everything. Vincent led her to his table and held her chair while she sat.

Father hid his surprise at Vincent's behavior and turned to Kate. "You look well, my dear."

"I feel well, thank you."

"You _do_ look rested," Mary added.

Kate smiled sheepishly. "I feel like all I've done since I got here is sleep."

"Sleep is the best way for your body to heal," Vincent stated.

"I should be ready to run a marathon then."

Father chuckled. "In due time, dear. Now, Jacob told me that you're an officer of the law, tell us about that…"

Kate told them about her job and quickly realized that that weren't nearly as interested in her job as they were at putting her at ease. She related some stories then quickly turned the tables by asking pointed questions of Father and Mary.

Vincent looked at Kate respectfully as Mary gushed over the newest additions in the nursery.

Father caught the look shared between Vincent and Kate and frowned. _"My God! He's actually interested in_ _her!"_ he thought as he quickly turned away to hide his feelings.

Kate finished her meal and stood. "I thought I'd try to go for another walk, I could use the exercise."

Vincent stood immediately. "I'll join you if you wish."

Kate smiled shyly. "That'd be great."

She followed Vincent who showed her where to put her dirty dishes and tray. They walked slowly out the door together and into the tunnel way.

Mary smiled warmly. "What a sweet girl."

"Yes…" Father grumbled.

Mary looked at him curiously. "What's bothering you?"

"Didn't you see the way he looked at her?"

"Who?"

"Vincent for God's sake!"

Mary looked shocked. "I didn't see anything different about the way he looked at her."

"Mary…he held her chair, laughed at her stories, answered all of her questions…"

Mary smirked. "What a horrible host he makes!"

"He was being more than a host!"

"Jacob! The boy was just being friendly!"

"Yes…and what happened the last time you said he was just being friendly…"

Mary looked thoroughly confused then it dawned on her what he meant and she gasped. "Do you mean Catherine?!"

Father looked at her incredulously. "Who else?"

"But that was over twenty years ago! Surely by now he's entitled to show interest in another woman!"

"Yes, another one who has a dangerous job and already has someone who is out to kill her…I suppose it was too much to ask that he fall in love with someone from the tunnels?! Rebecca perhaps or…"

"Jacob! Rebecca is like his sister as well as every other woman down here!"

Father sighed. "I know, I don't fault him at all it's just that he always falls in love with someone who is dangerous."

"Falls in love?! That's a little presumptuous isn't it…I mean…he met her three days ago!"

Father grumbled as one of the children came over and grabbed his and Mary's dirty dishes. They thanked Julie then the two of them walked to the library to spend a quiet day together.

Meanwhile, Vincent and Kate meandered through the tunnels and talked about a variety of topics. Each of them enjoyed the conversation and it wasn't long before they had gotten over a mile away from the home tunnels.

Vincent turned to her apologetically. "Kate…we should turn back we've come too far."

Kate smiled. "It's okay, I feel pretty good, and the company's been great."

Vincent smiled shyly. "Thank you, I've enjoyed our time together as well."

They turned around and slowly made their way back. They spoke about books and Vincent stopped off at his chamber and grabbed one off the shelf. He handed it to her in the tunnel way.

"I think you'll enjoy this."

Kate took it from him and nodded as she read the name on the spine. "It's been a long time since I've read this…I think it was for 7th grade history."

"Then you should revisit it…perhaps you will gain new insight into the story with the mind and heart of an adult."

"I'll start it tonight. Thank you."

Vincent led her to her chamber and lit some of her candles for her. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I think I'm all right. Tired but I feel good…stronger."

"I'm glad, goodnight, Kate."

"Goodnight, Vincent."

Three days later, Kate walked into Vincent's chamber and found Jacob standing alone staring at the wall.

Jacob looked forlorn as he looked over at a curious Kate who nervously apologized for intruding. "I'm sorry…I was looking for your father."

"He's in the lower tunnels fixing some leaking pipes."

"I just came to return a book he lent me."

Kate showed him the book then laid it down on the table that was there. She turned and looked at the wall he was staring at and realized there was a portrait there. She walked over and stood next to him. "I was wondering what held your attention."

Jacob shrugged indifferently as he gestured at the portrait. "Now you know."

"It's your mother?!" Kate had immediately seen the likeness and turned to him for confirmation.

"Yes."

She turned back and studied the picture. "She was beautiful…"

"Yes…inside and out…or so I'm told."

Kate stared at the mesmerizing portrait. "It's mesmorizing…"

"The artist captured them perfectly," Jacob smiled mischievously.

"Wow…I've never seen two people so in love…you can feel their…their connection…it's almost like they're an extension of one another."

"Yes…" Jacob covered up the portrait and walked around the table to sit. "My whole life I've heard stories about their love. I wish I could have witnessed it."

Kate sat down across from him. "You were the product of it."

"I guess."

"Your dad never found someone else?"

"No." Vincent said quietly as he walked in the door.

Jacob and Kate turned towards him.

"Hey, Dad."

"Jacob, your Grandfather wishes to speak with you."

"Oh, okay, I'll go see him now."

Jacob left the room and Kate pointed towards the book. "I brought it back, thank you for lending it to me."

Vincent nodded as he walked over slowly and took the sheet the rest of the way off the portrait and sighed.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Vincent?"

"Yes…"

"It's so beautiful…she…was so beautiful…why do you keep it covered?"

"There are times I can't bear to look at it….and then there are times I can gaze at it for hours…lose myself in it's depths."

"How sad…"

Vincent turned and smiled weakly at her as he took a deep breath. "Not really…you just read about Brigit and Ian." He walked over and held up the book she just returned. "Like she said…it's a sweet sorrow."

"I guess."

Vincent looked at her curiously. "You've never loved someone so much it hurts?"

She thought of Castle and shrugged. "I…don't know. I do care about someone very much…but I'm…"

"Afraid?"

"No…not afraid…"

"What then? Are you worried he'll not return your love?"

"No he already told me he loved me, although he doesn't know I remember him saying it…"

"You're pretending you don't remember he declared his love?"

Kate nodded. "I know…it doesn't make sense."

"Are you afraid to let him in…afraid to take the chance…"

"No…I like Rick…" Kate shook her head to clear it. "Actually…I think I love Rick…but…I've been driven for years by the need to find my mother's killer. Until that happens, I don't know if I have room to concentrate on anything else."

Vincent cocked his head to the side. "And you don't want to be unfair to Rick?"

"I can't…" Kate sighed as she began to pace. "You know…the last thing I remember after the shooting is him telling me he loved me?"

"But you couldn't say it back?"

"No…when came to see me the morning after..." Kate snorted with disgust. "I told him then I didn't remember anything about the incident…"

"But you do?"

"Yes…all of it."

"Then why the dishonesty?"

Kate shrugged and shook her head in confusion. "Because…Rick's…like a kid…a big, fun loving, dopey kid…but he's also good and he's kind and he makes me laugh. He deserves someone who's working as hard at the relationship as he is."

"Perhaps if _you_ work at it you'll be able to make room for him in your life?"

"I love him, Vincent." Kate sighed as tears came to her eyes. "I've never admitted that to anyone before but I could do it…I could turn myself and my life over to him in an instant and know that we would be all right but..."

"But you need closure to your mother's death…"

"Yes…and until I find that closure I'm afraid I won't be present in the relationship."

"And you care too much about him to take the chance on losing him?"

"Yeah…he's not a throwaway kind of guy. I…don't know what to do…"

"Catherine and I overcame many obstacles and even though our time together was short, the love I felt for her was enough to last me a lifetime."

Kate stood and touched his shoulder. "I'm glad that you had found that love in your life but in a way it's sad as well."

"The only sad part is how long my fears kept us apart…how much more we could have had."

"You two deserve better than you got."

"Yes." Vincent stood as well and extended his hand towards hers. "It's almost time for dinner…would you care to join me?"

Kate smiled as she took it. "Yeah…thanks."

Over the next few weeks, Kate's strength slowly returned. She and Vincent took long walks and spent hours talking about everything. She helped anyone who was interested with self defense classes, and Vincent, Mouse and Cullen listened to her advice on some new ways to defend the tunnels.

Two months after the shooting, Vincent was leading her to the basement of Joe's house.

Kate was unusually quiet and Vincent looked over at her. "You're nervous?"

"Petrified!"

"You're strong enough to do this."

"I'm not so sure."

"I am…and Joe will be with you. Perhaps…" Vincent stopped unwilling to voice what he was thinking.

"What?"

"You should call Rick."

Kate sighed. "I don't know…"

"Kate…you've talked about him for almost two months, don't waste another minute."

"I'll think about it…" She shrugged as Joe came down the steps.

"Hey, Vin. Thanks for bringing her here."

"You're welcome, Joe."

"You ready, kiddo?" Joe asked of Kate.

"As I'll ever be."

She turned to Vincent with a smile. "Thank you…for everything."

Vincent opened his arms and hugged her. "You're welcome, you've become a good friend, Kate, and you'll always be welcome Below."

Kate hugged him back then turned nervously to face Joe. She squared her shoulders and stepped forward. "Okay, lead the way."

Vincent watched proudly as she followed Joe up the steps.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Joe took Kate to her home and she nervously glanced around the apartment.

Joe saw her nervousness and rushed to ease it. "We swept the whole apartment, it's clean…not bugged or wired."

Kate relaxed and smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me too quickly…you start back at work tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"You've got to get back on the horse, Kate, you're ready…report to your new captain tomorrow."

Kate frowned as she thought about Montgomery. "It'll be so different."

"Yeah."

She had walked through her apartment and noticed the wall where she had the board of information on her mother's death was missing. She turned to face Joe and he guessed correctly what was bothering her.

"Castle took me to the side one day and said he needed help getting in here. He said you had some personal things that might prove damning if they were found. He has the board; he got it out of here before the team swept through searching for bugs."

Kate sighed with relief. "Great…I'll have to thank him."

Joe nodded as he reached for her door. "Call me if you need anything…"

Kate locked up after he left and walked slowly around her apartment getting reacquainted with everything.

The next few weeks were the hardest Kate had experienced since she was a rookie. Not only was the new Captain an impossible woman to get along with, she was still facing the demons that lingered from the shooting.

She took some pot shots from Ryan and Esposito about how poorly she had treated Castle. So she sought him out at a book signing and apologized for keeping him at a distance.

He forgave her then pulled strings with the mayor and got himself reinstated and was able to ride along and work with the team again. As much as Kate hated to admit, he played an integral part in her recovery and was by her side every step of the way helping her through her first few cases.

Weeks turned into months and the three officers met secretly in the basement of Joe's house to work on the case. They had a huge board that covered Joe's entire basement wall and had carefully recreated a timeline from the past twenty years. The group logged in hour after hour piecing together evidence that linked all the cases.

Another attempt was made on Kate's life. She confronted the man who shot her and in an attempt to subdue him, she was thrown over the side of a building. At the last second, she grabbed onto a ledge and dangled precariously from its side. Her life flashed before her eyes as she felt her grip slipping.

If it wasn't for the quick thinking of Ryan who had called for back up, Kate would be dead. At the last second, the team grabbed her hands and hauled her to safety.

Kate spent some time alone that night and after much sole searching, finally gave up on the search to find her mother's killer. She realized that her relationship with Castle meant more to her than any thing.

The two became lovers and were only able to hide their relationship from their friends for a short while before they were discovered.

Ryan and Esposito swore to keep it a secret, as they knew if Captain Gates found out about it Castle would immediately be barred from the precinct, as well as Kate possibly being fired.

A few months had passed and Kate watched as her partners headed out together one night.

"You guys heading out for a beer? Wait up, I'll get one with you…"

Ryan and Esposito exchanged looks and Ryan finally shrugged. "Um…we're…a…not grabbing a beer…we're heading over to Maxwell's house."

Kate blinked in surprise. "You're still working on that?"

"Yeah."

Kate sat in her chair as she thought about the case. "I…uh…look…Castle's out of town for the night…maybe I could head over there with you."

Esposito shrugged. "I thought you told Castle you were done."

Kate blushed guiltily. "I am…just lending a helping hand. You won't tell him will you?"

Her partners shrugged and led the way to Joe's house.

Joe greeted her warmly when she entered his basement. "Beckett, glad to see you back on board."

"Oh…well…I just came to see how you've been doing."

"Almost done." Joe sighed as he recorded Moreno's death in the timeline.

Beckett gasped when a few files later she came upon Catherine Chandler's file. Esposito took it from her and looked at her curiously as he recorded her information on the wall as well.

Ryan blew out a long breath. "Few more and we're done…"

Esposito nodded to another box. "What about them?"

Joe frowned. "Too long ago, we could never verify any of the info anyway so we'll go back as far as 1985…if we have to…we can include those later."

Ryan nodded towards the board. "Now we're down to recreating the scenarios. I wish Castle were here to add his spin on this."

Esposito laughed. "He sure can come up with them!"

Joe frowned at the men. "He's a writer…that's his job."

They all felt bad that Castle wasn't included but they also knew that when it came down to it, he was a civilian and needed to be protected.

Kate looked away guiltily. She had promised him she would stop investigating her mother's death after he admitted to her he had been told she would be killed if she didn't stop.

Her attention went back to Joe who started to link cases and everyone took turns coming up with scenarios. During the day, one or all of them tried to investigate clues on some of the newer cases. New evidence was brought down daily and in the spring they finally got a break.

Unknown to everyone in the group, when Castle had received the phone calls warning him to keep Beckett away from investigating the murders of her mother and Captain Montgomery he tried to keep her safe by continuing to do his own investigating.

His contacts were extensive and an old girlfriend in the CIA had passed to him top secret information right before she was killed.

Castle started to dig into the information and soon realized he was dangerously in over his head. He discovered how far in over his head he was when one night that he came to the conclusion that he was being followed.

He got especially worried about his safety and ditched his car in a casino parking lot in Atlantic City then hopped in a taxi back to New York. He got dropped off at a popular night club and slipped out the back door and headed for Joe Maxwell's house.

Fidgeting on the back steps, he glanced around suspiciously as he waited for the door to open.

Debbie's mouth flew open in shock when she answered the door. "Oh my God!"

Castle smiled indulgently. "No…I'm not God…my name's…"

"Richard Castle!" Kelly screeched from behind her sister. "You're Richard Castle!"

Brittany looked at him and nodded nonchalantly. "My sisters are in love with you but I'm sure they're not the reason you're here."

Castle laughed. "As much as I like to meet fans, I _am_ here to see your father…is he home?"

Debbie blushed and pushed Brittany out of the way. "Yes, please come in Mr. Castle."

Castle glanced nervously around outside then sighed with relief when the door shut behind him.

Brittany called out over her shoulder as they entered the kitchen. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you down to everyone else."

Castle stopped mid step. "Everyone else?"

Kelly beamed. "Yes, Nikki Heat…I mean…Detective Beckett is here along with Detectives Ryan and Esposito."

Castle was floored by the announcement and backed up towards the door to leave when he heard Brittany shout out.

"Dad! Richard Castle is here to see you!"

At that second, Joe opened the basement door and frowned at his daughter. "I heard…so did the neighbors."

"I thought you were downstairs!" Brittany defended herself.

"I was on my way up."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

Joe smiled tiredly at Castle. "Hey!"

"Hello."

Debbie and Kelly stood there shyly staring at their idol while Brittany grabbed a can of pop.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Out!"

The girls blushed and headed out of the kitchen while Joe grabbed a couple of beers. He handed one to Castle. "What can I do for you, Castle?"

Castle shook his head then thought better of it. "I need your help…"

"With what?" Joe wondered aloud.

"I think I'm being followed."

Joe believed him immediately and sighed then pointed towards the basement stairs. "Go down…everyone else is already there."

"I was told."

Joe nodded guiltily. "I just came up to grab a few beers. I'll be right there."

Castle walked down and sheepishly made his way towards the others. His friends had the grace to blush when he entered the room.

"Hey Castle!" Ryan greeted.

"Castle…" Esposito offered.

"Gentlemen…" Castle answered respectfully.

Beckett stood and looked at him angrily. "What are you doing here, Castle?"

Castle balked at her wrath and held his hands up at his sides in surrender. "I had nowhere else to go."

Joe walked in and handed everyone a beer. "He just told me he thinks he's being followed."

Beckett gasped and whirled back to face Castle as she grabbed his hand with concern. "Rick, are you sure?!"

"Yeah…"

"How long?" Ryan asked.

"At least the past two days…maybe longer."

Esposito frowned. "You should've come to us sooner!"

"He didn't come to _us_ …he didn't know we were here…" Beckett frowned as she turned away to hide the hurt she was feeling. "He came to see Joe…didn't you?"

Castle shrugged. "You guys have been a little…um…secretive lately."

His friends hung their heads in shame as Joe interrupted. "That's my doing. I reminded them that you're a civilian and threatened their badges if they disclosed any information to you." The three friends looked up hopefully as they watched Castle accept the explanation. "Now, you told me you were in over your head…start at the beginning…"

Castle sat down and nodded. "While Beckett was in the hospital I got a phone call. It was from a guy warning me to get her off of the investigation of her mother's death."

"It ended up being Michael Smith." Beckett snapped angrily.

Castle continued after he nodded. "He said I had the power to keep her alive if I could stop her from digging any further. After she came back to work, he called me again and said it was crucial I get her to stop her investigation of the Montgomery murder as well."

Beckett frowned at the announcement. "That's why you said all those things to me at my apartment…You wanted to try to get me to stop?"

He wouldn't look at her but he did answer her question. "Yeah, I…um…decided to do some investigating on my own. I had a couple of new leads and asked an old girlfriend in the CIA to help me out. She gave me some information right before she was killed. Now, I don't know if she was killed because of that or if it was really just a random act from a rogue worker..."

"You never told me?!" Beckett gasped.

Esposito jumped into the heated exchange. "So why do you think you're being followed?"

"I think the info she gave me hit too close to home. A black Dodge Charger has been behind me all day, everyday for at least two days now."

Ryan nodded. "Where's this file she gave you?"

"At my house…"

"On your desk?" Joe wondered.

Castle smirked. "No, inside the top of Alexis' Hello Kitty lunchbox."

Joe frowned. "So now what?"

"We can't let him leave here…if he's being followed he's also being targeted." Beckett stepped forward worriedly. "Where are Martha and Alexis?"

"Shopping in Chicago."

"How long are they gone for?" Ryan wondered.

"A week at least…depends on how many shows my mother can talk Alexis into seeing."

"Well, that's something…" Beckett said as she paced. "Castle can stay here and I'll go over and get that file…"

"Alone? No way, Beckett!" Joe growled.

"Sir, I'll be fine. I know where the spare key is hidden and I'll be in and out of there in less than ten minutes."

Esposito stood on the side of her. "Ryan and I will go with you. We'll grab a pizza and a case of beer. It'll look like we we're stopping by to have a party…"

Joe sat silent then finally nodded. "Ok...keep your eyes and ears open for anything unusual."

Ryan and Esposito walked to the bottom of the stairs while Beckett turned to a strangely silent Castle and smiled. "Hello Kitty lunch box? Let me guess…Bedroom…book shelves on that back wall?"

"Yes." Castle nodded.

Beckett frowned at his mood and tried to get him to smile. "Should I grab you a change of clothes? I'm sure I can find your favorite Batman pjs."

Castle looked at her with a hurt expression and shook his head. "Despite what you think, I _am_ a man and in case you're wondering…I always sleep in the buff whether you're there or not…but thanks for your offer."

Beckett blushed from his reprimand. "I'm sorry, Castle. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

"At my expense…"

She sighed and followed Ryan and Esposito up the steps.

Castle turned to Joe and frowned. "Where am I supposed to stay if I can't go home?"

Joe shrugged. "You can stay here…I'll move some kids around…it'll only be for a few days."

Castle realized it was his best option and nodded, "Thanks."

Beckett, Esposito and Ryan joked loudly as they made their way up to Castle's house. Beckett grabbed the key and let them inside as they walked around loudly calling Castle's name.

"Dude! He ain't here!" Esposito said.

Ryan smiled widely at a huge bouquet of flowers. "Alexis has a secret admirer…To Alexis…the prettiest girl in school."

"Ha! I wonder what Castle had to say about that!" Esposito added.

Beckett pointed at the huge flower delivery that was sitting on the living room table. She put her finger up to her lips to silence them as she walked closer to it. "He'll be back soon we'll find out then. Let's put on the game." She grabbed the remote and turned on ESPN certain there would be some kind of game on. She wasn't disappointed and turned up the volume.

Ryan nodded as he carefully moved aside some of the flowers and showed them that a bug was planted inside the leaves. He popped open a beer and called out to the others. "Will one of you grab some paper towels..."

Beckett looked around anxiously then nodded towards the upstairs. "You're on you own…I'm going pee! I've been holding it forever."

Esposito laughed. "I'll get them…I was gonna raid the liquor cabinet. I wonder if Castle has any of that good scotch left."

"Ooh…" Beckett said on her way upstairs. "I want some too."

Beckett lightly walked into Alexis' room and spotted the lunch box immediately. She opened it quietly and took the file out of the lid before she placed it back on the shelf. Heading past the bathroom she went inside and turned on the fan then sat for a second before she flushed the toilet and ran the water in the sink. She paused at Castle's bedroom door and looked at the king sized bed neatly made. For a second, she allowed herself the indulgence of dreaming of being in it…with him…before she shook her head to clear the image.

She headed for the kitchen by Esposito and quickly grabbed paper towels to wrap the file in.

"Found the scotch!" Esposito said loudly.

The two walked out by Ryan. Kate bent over and shifted the pizza around so she could set the file under the cardboard round the pizza came on while Esposito loudly set the glass on the table.

"Either of you notice the calendar in the kitchen? Castle's in Atlantic City for the week doing some book signing stuff…"

"Damn!" Ryan said as he pointed to the window overlooking the street out front. "We missed him."

All three detectives quickly picked up on the black charger that Castle had mentioned sitting about a half a block away."

Esposito frowned and walked closer to the flowers. "Let's go then…if he can't gripe about us drinking his scotch there's no point in being here. Let's go to O'Malley's."

Beckett smiled at the reference to the bar most popular with police officers. "O'Malley's it is!"

The three left and Beckett made sure she locked up behind her.

Once in the car, she looked at her partners. "Damn place is bugged."

Ryan nodded. "Good catch on your part!"

"How'd you know?" Esposito wondered.

"Both Alexis and Martha would have told everyone they were going to be away so the flowers couldn't have been for either of them."

"Castle was right," Esposito observed.

The three drove around for awhile hoping to throw off anyone following them before they headed back to Joe's.

Joe and Castle were sitting in the basement talking sports when the three detectives walked in.

"What did you find?" Joe asked.

"Castle _is_ being followed, Sir. He had a bug in his apartment as well," Ryan related.

"Did you get the file?"

Beckett pulled it out from under the pizza round. 

Joe took it and opened it up started to read the contents. "Holy Shit!"

Esposito laughed. "I take it the file contains pertinent information regarding these cases."

Joe sat down heavily. "Castle, who the hell is your girlfriend?"

"She's not…"

Beckett had been standing by Joe and reading over his shoulder. She gasped aloud at the contents and interrupted him. "Castle, did you read this file?"

"Yeah, why?"

Beckett turned to Ryan and Joe. "We can't let him go out there again…not until this is settled."

Ryan laughed aloud. "Beckett this has been going on over twenty years. You plan on solving the case this weekend?"

"Sir…we have to get Rick and his family to a safe place."

Joe nodded his head. "You're in just as much danger, Detective...your father needs to be included in this as well."

Beckett shook her head angrily. "I'll be fine! But…if something happens to Castle or his family or my father because of something I've done…"

Esposito hit her lightly in the arm. "Stand down, Kate. You didn't create this mess."

"No, but I let Castle get involved."

"If any of you care to remember, I _am_ standing here." Castle said loudly. "Now, I'll take you up on your safety plan for my mother and daughter but as far as I go…I already read that file front to back and I want to help."

Joe nodded. "I have a friend on the force in Chicago. Where are your mom and Alexis staying?"

"Since I'm paying, my mother chose The Ritz Carlton."

Joe laughed. "Of course, where else is there to stay?"

"At least they'll be safe there." Esposito added.

"I'll call my dad and tell him to visit my aunt in Michigan," Kate announced.

"He'll go?" Castle asked.

"I think so, he's been trying to get there since before I got shot."

"All right, that leaves Castle." Ryan stated.

Joe shrugged. "He can stay here indefinitely."

Castle smiled endearingly. "With my adoring fans…"

Joe opened the file and for the next six hours they poured over every detail contained inside.

At three in the morning, Beckett yawned loudly. "So we have to find the missing link that ties this all together…find out who this Ares guy is…what's our next step?"

"I say we go after Senator Bracken," Kate said.

"Which is exactly what Montgomery said you'd do," Castle countered. "They'll expect that."

"FBI?" Ryan asked.

Esposito frowned. "How many of them are paid for?"

Beckett stretched her tired muscles. "Look, this guy owns his own island in the Caribbean…we can't exactly drive our cruisers there…"

Joe sighed. "This information doesn't leave this room. Give me a day or two to check around."

The next day at work, Joe sat at his desk staring out the window, his mind racing with ideas. Distractedly, he answered his phone when it rang. "Maxwell."

"District Attorney Maxwell, its Senator Gillibrand."

Joe immediately sat up straighter in his seat. "Yes, Ma'am."

"I was wondering if you could stop by my office, I have some things I would like to discuss with you."

Joe's jaw dropped open with surprise. "Um…yes…of course. When would you like me to be there?"

"As soon as you can, when you get here let my secretary know, she'll escort you in immediately."

Joe glanced at the mirror and straightened his tie then ran a hand through his hair. "I'll leave right now, Ma'am."

"Thank you and…could you please use the utmost discretion?"

"Of course, Senator."

"Good…I'll see you when you get here then."

Joe grabbed his coat and headed to the streets to grab a taxi. Within a half hour, he was on the elevator riding up to her office.

He handed his card to the receptionist who stood immediately. "Follow me, please."

Joe shook his head at the expediency with which he was being shown in, and his stomach fluttered as he wondered what could possibly be this important.

The receptionist knocked lightly then held the door open to an office. "Senator, District Attorney Maxwell is here to see you."

The Senator looked up with a smile. "Thank you, Carla. Hold all my calls please."

Carla left and the Senator walked over and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"The same here, Senator."

"Kirsten, please," she said as she motioned for Joe to take a seat. "Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Maxwell?"

Joe sat down and looked at her with a smile as he shook his head. "No, thanks, and you can call me Joe."

Kirsten sat down behind her desk then swallowed hard and blew out a long breath. "I bet you're wondering why I called you here…"

Joe nodded. "The thought has crossed my mind."

Kirsten stood and began to pace. "I'm not sure where to start, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. My father was the owner of a corner dime store on the lower east side back when in it was in its heyday."

"I heard it was a great neighborhood to grow up in back in the 60's."

"Yeah, it was. Then it started to change in the late 70's into the early 80's. His store kept getting broken into and we worried about him being there late at night. My three brothers and two sisters and I tried to get him to move, but my mom had just passed, and he said it was all he had left of her." Kirsten sat down and folded her hands in front of her on the desk. "One day he told me that some business men had been coming into his store. They wanted to buy him out. He refused and they came back every week with a bigger and better offer. He started to get worried because even though they had been friendly, they were starting to get angrier…threats were being carelessly tossed out then chuckled about. He asked them to stop coming into the store…he told them that no amount of money was going to get him to sell. That weekend he was murdered in the back of the store."

Joe nodded and looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry…I know how hard it is to lose a parent."

"Your dad was murdered too…"

"Yes, how'd you know?"

Kirsten handed him a file. "I had you investigated."

Joe took it and glanced inside. Most of the information was on Jenny and the kids and his service record as District Attorney. He glanced up at her warily and fought to keep his composure. "Did you find out what you wanted to know?"

Kirsten smiled. "Yes…your record is impeccable. I've been following your career since you stepped into the DA's position back in the 80's."

"Why?" Joe wondered.

"My father was killed in 1982. John Moreno was the Assistant DA at the time. I felt like he turned a blinds eye to my father's murder. I investigated it as much as I could and I thought I had evidence that Moreno had been bought and paid for by someone very important. Then he became the District Attorney and had all that power at his fingertips. I vowed from that day forward that I would do everything I could to stop the corruption in government and here I sit….almost twenty years later, all the power and contacts at my fingertips and I still have no answers about my father's death."

Joe shifted in his seat. "You still haven't told me what this has to do with me…"

"You're investigating twenty some odd years of corruption in the police force and I want to try to help you."

Joe tried to hide his surprise and he worriedly thought about Jenny and the kids and his mind raced to remember where they were all going today. "Look, Senator, I don't know who told you…"

Kirsten tried to put him at ease as she held up a hand. "Joe…I know because I'm the one who gave the information to Sophia Turner…the agent that forwarded it to Rick Castle. She was my roommate at college, she asked me for help and I gave it to her. "

Joe sat quietly not admitting one way or another to having the folder.

"I'm guessing that with the help of Beckett's team you've been able to link a lot of these "accidents" together. I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that you have no idea how to proceed with the information you've gathered, you have no idea who to trust." Joe looked away to hide his reaction but Kirsten caught it and continued. "I did a lot of soul searching to decide whether you could be trusted or not…I thought I'd take the chance on you." She handed Joe a card with her name and a variety of personal phone numbers on it. "Think about it…take it to Beckett and her team…talk to them. When you're ready for some help call me…day or night…"

Joe stood and nodded. "We done here?"

Kirsten stood and walked him to the door. "I wish I could say the words you need to hear to trust me, Joe; but after Moreno burned you, I can understand why you're cautious. My father's name was Steven Cooper…he's one of your unsolved cases…I hope that once you reread his file you'll call…"

Joe stared at her for what seemed like hours then blew out a long breath. "I'll keep your numbers."

Both Kirsten and Joe felt a measure of relief when he walked out of her office.

That night Joe sat in the basement and had everyone's undivided attention as he told them word for word what the Senator had said.

Beckett sighed loudly. "So the question is if the good Senator can be trusted…"

"She could be in cahoots with Senator Bracken." Esposito said suspiciously.

Joe shrugged. "For what it's worth, I trusted her."

Castle looked around at the group. "I remember that Senator Gillibrand was at a private party that Sophia took me, she said they used to be good friends in college."

Ryan shrugged. "Well, that's easy enough to check into so let's assume it's the truth."

Esposito grabbed an old file and thumbed through it. "Her maiden name was Cooper and the details she gave you on this murder were spot on."

Joe held up his hand. "Honest show of hands…who wants to trust her?"

Hands slowly went up but when Beckett still hadn't raised hers they all turned to face her.

She rolled her eyes and raised her hand. "I don't want to but we've got no where else to turn…"

Joe grabbed a disposable phone and dialed Kirsten's cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Senator."

"Joe…please call me Kirsten."

"Okay…Kirsten…we decided to trust you."

"I'm glad!" Kirsten said happily. "Look…I was praying you would call, I even set up an initial contact meeting with some agents who are just waiting for the date and time."

"Okay…when and where?"

Kirsten rattled off the date, location and time then Joe hung up and relayed the information to everyone else.

Ryan frowned. "So should we all get there on our own…stay apart as much as we can?"

Beckett stood up. "No, I say we keep it low key for a few days then we meet here and go to the place together."

Everyone agreed and headed up the stairs to leave for the night. They were standing in the kitchen when gun fire exploded around them. Beckett knocked Castle to the floor as everyone else followed suit. They covered their heads in horror as the front of the house was shot at. Bullets shattered the front windows and glass from every which way rained down on them. Beckett immediately looked around to make sure Castle was safe and was surprised he was not at her side.

She sighed with relief when she saw him by Joe who was belly crawling towards the steps to get upstairs to his family.

Castle was right behind him and glanced at Beckett who nodded her approval as she grabbed for her weapon once the gunfire stopped. Ryan also had drawn his weapon as he reached for his cell and dialed the precinct for help.

Esposito and Beckett got to their feet and headed out the back door followed a few steps behind by Ryan. They made their way around to the front of the house and saw a car's tail lights turn left at the end of the block.

Joe's heart was racing as morbid thoughts kept popping into his head as he thought about how deadly quiet it was upstairs. He felt someone pull on his leg before he slid back a few steps. Castle got up and raced past him.

"Let me go first, Joe."

By the time Joe got to his feet, Castle was opening the first closed door.

"It's Daddy!" Joe bellowed loudly from behind him. "Jen, c'mon kids, someone answer!"

"Dad!" Debbie and Kelly called out in unison as Castle watched them crawl out from under their beds.

Castle turned to Joe who was running up behind him. "They're safe, I've got them!"

Joe kept running down the hall and stopped when Brittany opened up the bathroom door.

"Dad?!"

Joe grabbed her shoulders tightly and looked down her body checking for any injuries. "You okay, honey?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine! Was that gunshots?"

"Yeah, Britt it was…" He kissed her forehead and continued down the hallway. "Jenny?!" He screamed out again.

"Joe! We're in here!"

He let out the breath he'd been holding and raced in his bedroom. Jenny was backed into the far corner with Joey under one arm and Maria under the other. Amy sat by her legs clutching her favorite stuffed animal from childhood.

Joe ran to his family and quickly looked each one of them over. He grabbed Amy and lifted her to her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Daddy."

"Maria?" Joe asked as he helped her to her feet.

"I'm okay, Daddy."

"Good girl. How about you big guy?" Joe asked as he ruffled Joey's hair.

"I had to protect Mommy and the girls but I'm okay."

"Honey?"

"I'm okay, Joe."

Castle walked in the door with Debbie and Kelly huddled protectively under each of his arms.

Debbie gasped as she pointed. "No, she's not Dad…her feet are bleeding!"

Joe glanced down and fell to his knees to see the damage.

"I'm okay…I just I stepped on glass when I got out of bed."

For the first time, Joe noticed his bedroom window had been shot out and his stomach turned when he thought about how close someone had come to being killed.

"Castle!" Beckett's voice could be heard calling out from downstairs.

Castle's parenting skills kicked in and he put on his acting hat and clasped his hands together delightedly. "C'mon everyone, the police are gonna be here any minute. Let's go make some microwave popcorn, sit on the couch and watch the action."

Joey smiled and raced past everyone excitedly. "Cool!"

Maria looked uncertain then decided to follow Joey and ran out of the room. Amy rolled her eyes in disgust. "They're such children…" she announced as she left the room.

Joe smirked at her grown up attitude as Brittany looked at both her parents. "I'll go make sure they don't burn down the kitchen." She left, and Castle nodded to a grateful Joe and Jenny then followed her downstairs.

"Dad, if you help Mom to the bathroom, Kelly and I will take care of her feet," Debbie said as she and Kelly left to go for supplies.

Joe looked at Jenny for confirmation. "You better get down and handle the kids or Joey will have them calling the National Guard for reinforcements."

Joe picked her up and carried her to the bathroom and set her on the counter between the two wash basins. Tears were in her eyes and she sighed as he pulled her into his arms. They trembled as they took a moment of comfort in each others arms. Joe pulled back slightly and cupped her cheek as he kissed her deeply.

"Ack!" Debbie said as she walked into the room. "Really, Dad?!"

Kelly rolled her eyes in disgust. "Mom's bleeding to death and you're molesting her."

"I am not bleeding to death!" Jenny announced at the same time Joe said. "I am not molesting her!"

The girls grinned as they stood their holding antiseptic and bandages as well as tweezers and some clean towels.

Joe sighed and touched each of his girls on the shoulder then kissed their foreheads as he started to walk from the room. "Take care of my bride."

"We will, Dad," they said in unison.

Joe walked downstairs and blinked when he saw the large number of officers walking around his house. "One big party at the Maxwell house," he announced to the room.

Beckett walked over to him. "My precinct's pretty tight and when one of us is in trouble…we all come running…"

"All? Is anyone trying to find the jerks that shot up my house?"

Esposito walked up. "We saw the tail lights down the street but not much else."

A uniformed officer walked up and looked at his notes. "Detectives Beckett and Esposito reported seeing a late model car possibly a Monte Carlo heading north then east on Elm. We have squads canvassing a twelve block radius as well as choppers looking on the highways and officers reviewing police cameras at the surrounding intersections."

"Thank you." Joe smiled at the rookie who turned and left.

Ryan stepped up beside him and dropped his voice low. "Let's just assume this is about the case."

Joe nodded and looked at his family. "I'm gonna announce that I'm sending my family to their uncle's house in Jersey but I'm taking them Below."

Beckett nodded in understanding but Esposito wondered aloud. "Below what?"

"Dad…Mom's ready to come down but we think you should look at it first," Debbie announced from the top landing.

Joe looked up and nodded then glanced back at Ryan. "Tell them where we're going…"

As Joe headed up the steps, Ryan grabbed his partner's elbow. "You're gonna love this..."

Joe got to the top of the steps and looked gratefully at his two oldest. "Thanks, girls. Do me one more favor…grab some duffel bags for everyone and a few changes of clothes…we're heading Below for a few days and I'm not taking the time to argue with six kids about fashion choices."

"Got it, Dad," Debbie said as she and Kelly turned around to start packing for their brother and sisters.

Joe walked into the bathroom and looked at his tired looking wife. "Hi, babe…how ya doing?"

Jenny smiled weakly. "Fine, Debbie got out all the glass I think," she said as she nodded towards a bowl with about a dozen pieces of glass of various sizes. "How are the kids?"

"They're fine…Castle is entertaining them and keeping it light…I don't think they're scared anymore." Joe cringed and kissed her on top of her forehead then sat down on the toilet and put his head in her lap. "I am so sorry this happened…"

"Joe Maxwell! This is not your fault!"

"I brought this here…"

"Joe…"

Knowing what she was going to say, he stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm taking you and the kids Below for a few days. You should be safe there."

"Where are you going to be?" Jenny asked suspiciously. Joe looked away and shrugged and she knew he was going to do something dangerous. "Please be careful."

Joe held her against his chest and kissed her head. "I will…"

"Are you sure you have to go? You're the DA not a cop…"

"I know but…this case has special meaning to me."

"Why? Why is this case so much more important than any other case?"

Joe sighed and pulled away then lifted her chin so she could look at him. "Cause this reign of terror dates back twenty some odd years…and Cathy's case is linked with them."

Jenny took a deep breath. "Then I wish I could go…" When he made to protest she held up her hand to stop him. "But…I know I'll be of more use staying safely Below and taking care of the kids."

He smiled at her strength. "That's my girl…let me look at what my little nurses did…" Joe bent over and studied Jenny's feet. She had deep cuts on them but it looked like all of the glass had been removed. He quickly bandaged them up and put socks on her feet. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I'll try." Jenny got to her feet and chewed on her lip so she wouldn't show her pain.

"So? How bad is it?"

She took a few tentative steps and blew out a breath. "It's tender but I'll tough it out."

Joe put his arm around her and guided her down the steps. Thankfully the chaos was over and most of the police were gone. He led her towards the couch and settled her down by the kids. Joey was sleeping against the arm of the chair and Maria, who was settled back against the arm of the other, came and cuddled up next to Jenny. Amy had her face buried in the first Richard Castle book written and was diligently reading.

"Where's Britt?" Joe wondered aloud.

"She's cleaning up all the dishes," Esposito offered.

"Dishes? Dinner dishes were cleaned hours ago," Jenny stated with confusion.

Castle looked away guiltily while Beckett smiled at Joe and cocked her head towards Castle. "Someone fed your kids ice cream and popcorn…"

Jenny grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Castle they needed some fun tonight."

"Call me Rick, please."

A uniformed officer entered the room. "Excuse me…"

"Whatcha got, O'Reilly?" Beckett asked.

"Nothing, everything's clean…no prints anywhere. It must've been a drive by."

"Thanks," Joe said as he nodded.

"You're welcome, sir. My team and I are done here…we're heading out."

"O'Reilly, leave a copy of the report on my desk?" Beckett asked.

"You got it," he said as he left.

"So, what do we do now?" Esposito wondered. "We all gonna camp out here together until the meeting?"

Joe shot a look at Ryan. "You didn't tell them?"

Ryan laughed. "We had twenty seven police officers here less than ten minutes ago…when should I have disclosed all of it?"

A phone rang and the room silenced. Joe reached for the disposable phone he was given and picked it up tentatively. "Hello."

"Joe, its Kirsten. Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah…we're all good."

"I'm glad. Look, they are obviously aware of what's going on. We've got to act fast. I moved the meeting up to tomorrow. Can you get your family to a safe place tonight?"

"Yeah…got it covered."

"Good, I'll send three black vans to your house tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. Get your team in van two and be ready for anything."

"Got it."

"Good luck…see you soon."

Joe hung up and set the phone on the table. "Meeting's moved to tomorrow."

Beckett, Esposito and Ryan all nodded, and Castle looked at each of them. "Where we going?"

Ryan and Esposito looked at Beckett who shook her head. " _ **WE**_ aren't going anywhere…this mission is just too dangerous"

"Danger is my middle name," Castle grinned mischievously.

"Not this time, Castle," Joe stated.

Castle was offended and stood. "Fine…I guess I'll head home then."

Esposito shook his head. "You can't let you do that, Castle."

"Why not?"

Ryan clasped him on the shoulder. "We need to get you to a safe place."

"I can take care of myself."

"It's too dangerous for you to go back to your place." Joe said quietly.

Castle looked at them disgustedly. "Amazingly enough I was able to take care of myself and raise a daughter long before I met any of you people."

"Castle, for once can you listen to the people who know what's best for you? You're a writer, damn it…we're cops…it's our job to protect you…" Beckett pleaded.

"Yeah…I know…it's been ten minutes since you last reminded me!"

Debbie and Kelly came down loaded with duffel bags.

"We're ready, Dad." Kelly announced.

Joe stood up and looked at everyone. "Can I ask everyone to please put aside their feelings for a moment and help me get my wife and kids to safety?"

Beckett and Ryan knew where they were heading but Esposito and Castle were still in the dark.

Ryan grabbed a couple of duffel bags and looked at Esposito and Castle. "Let's go guys, I'll explain on the way."

He headed towards the kitchen and both of the men grabbed the rest of the bags and followed behind him.

Esposito frowned when Ryan stood at the basement steps instead of by the back door. "Dude, where ya heading?"

"Down," was Ryan's answer.

A curious Castle fell in behind him followed by Esposito.

Debbie led a very tired Joey while Kelly held the hand of Maria. Brittany and Amy followed them as Joe helped Jenny and Beckett took up the rear.

Ryan waited until they were all in the basement to activate a mechanism.

Castle gasped when a false wall slid open. "No way!"

"Way," Ryan grinned.

"Dad, can we go ahead?' Brittany asked tiredly.

"Yeah, tell Vincent what's going on, and we'll be there as soon as I can get your mom there."

"Okay," Debbie said as they headed down the hidden staircase.

Castle and Esposito were surprised that the kids fearlessly headed down into the dark entrance.

Esposito looked at his partner nervously. "Lead the way."

Ryan waited until they were in the tunnel way to start to explain the strange new world they had entered. Both men stayed silent as they walked slowly through the tunnels.

Jenny walked close to three blocks before she struggled to keep going.

Joe carried her for a block or two but couldn't do it anymore and called ahead. "Ryan, I'm struggling here, we might have to call for a stretcher."

"Got it," Ryan said as he picked up a rock and tapped it against a nearby pipe.

"Don't tell me it's a secret code?" Castle asked delightedly.

Ryan shrugged. "Okay I won't tell you, but I will tell you that the reason this world has to be kept a secret is probably on his way right now to help us out. When you meet him, you'll understand, but try not to be shocked by his appearance."

"What…is he a subterranean monster of some sort?" Esposito smirked.

Beckett walked up at that moment. "Vincent's one of the nicest people I've ever met in my entire life. He has an amazing intelligence and he helped me heal both physically and mentally these past few months."

Castle looked away to hide his jealousy and Esposito looked contrite. "I'm sorry…"

"No need to apologize…" a voice whispered in the dark. "It's an unfortunate circumstance that brings us together but…it's also a chance to make new friends."

Esposito blinked in surprise when Vincent stepped from the shadows and Castle's jaw dropped open until Beckett elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Oww….." he grunted as he looked at her.

Esposito cleared his throat and stepped forward with a hand extended. "Esposito." He swallowed hard when he got a good look as Vincent extended his hand, but he shook hands with him anyway. "Nice to meet you."

Vincent cocked his head to the side. "It's nice to meet you too, Javier. Kevin's spoken of you often." He looked over at Castle who was still rubbing his ribs. "You must be Richard Castle."

Castle smiled and extended his hand. "Yeah, nice to meet you."

"You have a whole community of fans here who will be anxious to meet such a well known author."

"I would be honored to spend time with them."

Vincent looked at Joe and Jenny and immediately saw the pain she was in. "Kevin, go ahead and show our guests to their temporary homes."

"No problem, Vincent."

He turned to Jenny with concern in his eyes. "Jenny, are you all right?"

She smiled weakly. "I will be when I finally get Below and rest for a few days."

He smiled as he walked to her side. "Perhaps I can make your journey easier…" Jenny smiled gratefully as he scooped her up and carried her through the tunnels. "I'll take you to the hospital chamber, Eric is waiting to check your wounds."

"Debbie and Amy did a pretty good job patching me up," Jenny offered.

"Perhaps, but Eric will change the bandages anyway. Your walk has made your cuts start bleeding again."

Joe glanced at her feet and noticed the blood soaking through the bandages. "Damn! I should never have let you walk."

"Joe, you carried me three blocks…your back will already be hurting tomorrow."

"Hey, I exercise…I could have handled it."

"Wrestling with your son in the backyard and pick up basketball games once a week with your high school buddies is not exercise."

Vincent chuckled at their teasing. "I do physical labor everyday, Joe but over the years even I'm starting to find this a struggle."

Jenny looked at him indignantly. "Are you calling me fat?"

Vincent looked horrified and shook his head. "No! I would never…"

Joe knew she was teasing and clasped his shoulder as he teased further. "He's calling all of us old!"

Jacob jogged up the tunnel way towards them. "You are all old!" He said as he slammed to a stop in front of them. "Hey, Aunt Jenny."

"Hi, Jacob."

"Mind if I take over for my old man for awhile?"

"Sure, but I feel like a sack of potatoes."

Jacob took her from his father's arms and pretended to groan at the weight. "Ohhhh…maybe a sack of bowling balls!"

"Hey!" she said as she playfully slapped at him.

"Just kidding, you're as light as a feather."

"Good cover, kid," Jenny laughed, "but after six kids I've put on a few pounds."

Jacob turned and quickly walked with her towards the hospital chamber.

As promised, Eric was waiting and efficiently cleaned and rebandaged her feet.

"The girls did a great job, they only missed a few slivers of glass, even I wouldn't have seen them if I didn't have this magnifying glass."

"Thanks, Eric."

"No problem, Jenny. Joe, why don't you take our patient to a guest chamber. I think Mary has the one right around the corner ready for you."

"Great, I'll get her settled in then check on the kids."

Jacob walked in and overheard his comment. "Don't bother, Uncle Joe. Joey's sound asleep on his old Batman sheets in the boy's dorm, Amy and Maria are in the same bed in the girl's dorm and when I left, Brittany, Kelly and Debbie were climbing the ladder to get to the upper dorm."

"Thanks, I hope they get some sleep."

"I'll announce at breakfast that they should be left alone. Why don't you try to get some sleep as well?"

"Joe…"

Joe turned to see Beckett standing in the doorway flanked by Esposito and Ryan, Castle stood behind her.

"We've been talking and we feel the best plan is to head back to your place. If anything happens and there's not people around…someone's going to start asking questions…"

Esposito nodded. "We can crash on your couch…"

Ryan looked at his watch and sighed. "Four hours…we get four hours to sleep."

Jenny knew he wanted to stay with her because she was hurt and as much as she wanted him by her side, she put on a false smile. "Thank God! When he's this tired he snores like a chain saw. Go ahead honey, I'll be fine."

"Let me at least carry you to the guest chamber…"

"Rick will do it for me, won't you Rick?"

Rick smiled as he stepped forward. "If you think I'm man enough to handle it, I'm up for the challenge."

Jenny glowed as he bent over to pick her up easily. She pretended to squeeze his biceps and giggle. "I think you're more than man enough to take me to my bed…"

He shot Beckett an angry look. "I'm glad _some_ women still notice."

Joe rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Forget it, Castle…give me my wife back. I'll see her to her bed myself."

Joe grabbed Jenny from his arms. "Oohhh, they're fighting over me…I love it!"

"I'll be right back," Joe said to the room in general as he carried Jenny out.

The guest chamber was a short walk and Joe had Jenny settled in her bed within minutes.

"Be careful, Joe."

"I will."

"You don't have to do this, honey…Cathy's been gone a long time and taking down the men who hurt her will never bring her back."

"I know."

"But…you still feel like you owe it to her…Joe, you owe her nothing. You brought Vincent her son and you helped raise him. You befriended everyone in this world and have done everything possible to be the best helper you can be…"

"I know…"

"I love you, Joe."

"I love you, too." He kissed her slowly and leaned his forehead against hers. "I'll be back soon."

"Think you'll make it back for Winterfest?"

"Aw jeez…I forgot…" Joe sighed as he counted the days. "I don't know, honey…maybe…I'd hate to promise."

"I know. It's okay if you don't…"

"No it's not…just one more time my job will take me away from being with the people I love."

He left and headed back towards the others.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Esposito left Beckett and Castle alone to talk.

Beckett had walked over to Castle and sadly looked up at him. "I'm sorry you can't go."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, you make a great partner," she smirked.

"A partner is someone you consider an equal."

"True, a partner is also someone who has achieved the same level of training and education as you."

"Yeah, I get it."

She stepped forward and leaned in closer to him. "Now a friend is someone who always has your back…someone you can always turn to when things go bad…someone you…um…"

Castle looked at her curiously as he smiled waiting for her to say she loved him. "Um…what?"

"You guys ready?" Esposito asked.

Beckett shook her head at the distraction and sighed aloud. "Can we talk about this when I get back?"

"Yeah."

She kissed him lovingly then looked back at him as she followed Ryan and Esposito out the door.

Vincent walked up to Castle. "Rick, if you'd like I can show you to a chamber…"

"Thanks…I would like to get some shut eye."

Vincent led the way to a guest chamber not too far from his. "I'm just down the hall if you need anything."

Castle shrugged. "No, I should be okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Eight hours later, Castle slowly woke and blinked in the still dark room. One candle had been left burning and he quickly got his bearings. His thoughts flew to Beckett and the dangerous mission she was going on. He grumbled and got out of bed then jammed his feet into his shoes.

"I wonder where they pee around here," he said aloud to the empty room.

He ventured out into the tunnel way and smiled at some kids walking past. "Hey, can one of you show me to a bathroom?"

The biggest of the boys smirked at him. "Gotta piss like a racehorse?"

Castle grinned at the kid, knowing he was trying to impress his friends. "Good one, and yeah, I do."

"You're a pig, Dustin. Come on Mister, I'll show you. It's right around the next two corners."

Castle followed the kids and went into the chamber door they indicated. He closed the curtain and looked around and found the only thing that could have possibly been a toilet. He looked down at the hole and grinned. He could see running water was constantly flowing through it and he realized it was perfect for sanitation.

He walked into the hallway and stood hoping to figure out where to go next. He heard voices carrying through the tunnels and he followed them and peeked into a huge room. The smells coming from a banquet table set with covered dishes heating over sternos had his mouth watering.

He gasped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Good morning."

"Morning, Vincent."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did..."

"Good. You know you're welcome to go in to get something to eat."

"I didn't want to presume."

Vincent smiled warmly. "This is your home for the next few days, please make yourself comfortable."

Vincent guided him through the buffet line then led him to his usual table. The two men talked amicably while they ate.

Jacob came in and cleared his throat loudly. "Thanks, everyone. I have a few announcements. The Maxwell's came down late last night. The kids are sleeping and I don't want them disturbed and Aunt Jenny is recovering from some injuries to her feet. Now, you certainly noticed the stranger in our midst this morning. Mr. Richard Castle, the author, will also be staying with us a few days. Please remember he is a guest and not here for adoring fans."

Gasps could be heard as Castle stood and waved. "Hello everyone, thank you for your hospitality."

He sat and Vincent leaned in towards him. "I apologize for Jacob's exuberance. I should have spoken to him about giving you some time to settle in before he announced who you were."

"Its okay, Vincent."

The two men looked up to see several people making their way towards their table.

"Here they come…" Castle said.

He sat for four hours meeting with everyone Below. Vincent was surprised at how kind and gracious he was to each person he spoke with. He listened to each person's story and kept them engaged and each person walked away from the encounter feeling special.

His fans finally left and Castle stood and headed out the door. He popped into the bathroom and when he came out he saw Brittany walking in the tunnel way.

"Brittany!"

"Hey, Mr. Castle."

"Rick, please. Britt, is there anywhere that I can go to be by myself for awhile? Think a little bit…"

Brittany thought for a moment then brightened. "Most of the adults head to the Chamber of the Falls."

"Chamber of the Falls?"

"Yeah, they go there to read…the older kids go there to make out but they're always caught."

Castle smirked. "I won't be making out with anyone, so I should be safe. Can you take me?"

"Sure!"

He followed Brittany to a huge chamber with a waterfall. It was peaceful, and Castle was thankful no one else was around.

"Thanks for bringing me here."

"No problem. Can I go now? I'm supposed to meet Amber…"

"Yeah, I'll be fine on my own."

Brittany left and Castle settled down with his back against a rock. He stared at the waterfall and became lost in his thoughts about Kate and their relationship.

It seemed like only minutes before he looked up and saw Vincent standing there.

"Rick."

"Hey, Vincent. I just came here to sit and think for awhile."

"You've been thinking for over 4 hours."

Rick frowned and glanced at his watch. "I…had no idea."

"This place is magical…it can easily let you get lost in your thoughts. If you'd like to talk about it…I've been told I'm a good listener." When no response came from Rick, Vincent continued. "Kate and I spent many afternoons here while she recovered."

Castle immediately thought of Brittany and her reference to this being the favorite make out location. "Oh, yeah…" he said as he tried to hide his anger and hurt.

"She spoke of you often."

Castle looked at him with curiosity. "Really? What'd she say?"

"Only that she was confused about your relationship."

"Oh..."

"She loves you, Rick."

"Maybe," he shrugged.

"For an author you are a man of few words." Vincent grinned and cocked his head sideways, trying to connect with the solemn man.

Castle chuckled at him. "I'm not usually rendered speechless by half truths."

"You don't believe she loves you?"

Castle sighed. "Sometimes I think we are so…connected and other times…we can seem so distant, and I don't think we'll find our way back."

Vincent looked down at the ground. "I understand."

"You had the same problem?"

"It was many years ago…but yes…Jacob's mother…Catherine and I shared a deep love…we had…a bond that kept us together…still there were times when I felt so far removed from her and her world."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I love Kate, she's a wonderful woman but she's driven by this need to settle a tragedy that occurred in her past."

"The death of her mother."

"Yeah, I'm worried it will be the death of _her_."

"Because she desires to find the people responsible for the murder prosecuted?"

"Not desires, Vincent...its way beyond that…Kate is driven by the need to solve the case."

"Maybe she feels she is unable to commit to the future when she still doesn't have closure in the past…"

"Yeah…I guess…"

Vincent saw that Rick still struggled with the concept. "Dinner is being served…you must be getting hungry by now…"

Castle nodded and stood. "Yeah…sounds good."

The two men made their way to the dining chamber and sat with Father and Mary. They had a leisurely dinner and Castle was in his glory speaking to Father about every form of literature known to man.

Vincent finally interrupted them. "Rick, perhaps you would like to sit in on our reading tonight."

"Yes, yes…of course he would…" Father readily agreed.

"What kind of reading?" Castle asked.

Vincent touched his arm. "Every Saturday the older children reenact one of Shakespeare's plays to whoever would like to attend the performance."

Mary smiled. "It's like our own movie theater…the children all work so hard to get their lines right. But Father and Vincent have forgotten that the children are skipping tonight because they're practicing for Winterfest."

"Winterfest?"

Vincent rushed to explain. "It's our world's special holiday. Once a year, our helpers gather for a celebration…it's our way of thanking them for all they do for us throughout the year."

"Yes, and the children usually give a small performance." Father added.

"Sounds nice," Castle said.

"It's wonderful, Mr. Castle!" Mary gushed. "But right now is our busiest time of the year."

"Well…as long as I'm here I'd like to help in any way I can."

"Your help would be most welcome," Vincent stated.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

As the community Below had welcomed their new guest, his friends Above sat in Joe's living room trying to get some sleep while patiently waiting for the vans to pick them up as scheduled.

Ryan and Esposito were on either end of the couch with their feet propped up on the coffee table while Beckett and Joe each stretched out on the matching recliners at either end of the couch.

"Who do you think we're going to be working with?" Ryan wondered aloud.

Beckett frowned as she shrugged. "CIA…FBI…Homeland Security…"

Head back and eyes closed, Esposito grunted. "Could be any one of them…"

Joe nodded in agreement. "Or all of them…"

Beckett sighed as she burrowed beneath the blanket. "It'll be great to work with any one of them…you know how welcoming they are to city detectives…"

Snorts of disgust could be heard and Beckett wondered briefly if they were sarcastic acknowledgments of her comment or if her partners had finally fallen asleep. Her eyes closed and her thoughts drifted to Rick.

What seemed like only minutes later, Joe startled awake when his mouth was covered by a hand.

"Joe…shhh…."

"Senator."

"There's been a change of plans. We're leaving now."

"What time is it?"

"5:30…go make some coffee for your crew…the vans are on their way. Where is your family?"

"Upstairs." Esposito lied easily from the couch.

Kirsten sighed as she sat down. "No…they're not…I checked. Look, you are going to have to learn to trust me."

Joe nodded as he yawned. "Safe…I sent them to be with friends of ours."

A team of heavily armed men came inside. Kirsten looked around at the sleepy adults. "Sorry…be ready to go in 10 minutes."

Beckett ran for the bathroom upstairs and Ryan headed for the one off the kitchen.

Kirsten helped Joe in the kitchen. "Do you have the files you've been working with?"

Joe looked at her suspiciously then nodded. "Yeah."

Kirsten headed towards the office assuming they were in there.

Esposito stepped forward. "I'll get them."

Joe poured coffee for everyone while Esposito ran to the basement.

"Take one of my men with you," Kirsten offered.

"I'm good," Esposito called over his shoulder.

Kirsten sighed as she put lids on the cups Joe had already poured. "Why don't I finish these and you go help Esposito."

Joe knew she had realized they still didn't trust the whole situation. "Thanks, I'm struggling with it but for now I don't have a choice but to trust you."

He left and helped Esposito box up the files. Esposito carried the box upstairs and Joe glanced at the wall that led Below to make sure it was in place and still disguised by some of the kids old toys.

He glanced at the board they had been working on and impulsively grabbed it then headed upstairs.

Kirsten glanced curiously at it as he came upstairs. "What's that?"

"Our work..."

Kirsten smiled as she looked at it. "It's primitive…"

Joe chuckled. "Well, with no funding…"

"Simpson…" Kirsten called out then nodded towards the board when the man came in.

Simpson snapped a picture of the board then glanced down at the screen of some type of camera Joe had never seen before. He pushed some buttons then nodded to Kirsten as he left.

A woman came up after Simpson left and lifted a bottle then sprayed the board with some liquid. Joe watched in horror as weeks of work ran down to the bottom of the board then gasped when the erasable board actually started to disintegrate.

"Hey! What the hell did you do that for?"

Kirsten started to explain when they heard a commotion in the living room. She grabbed two cups of coffee and handed them to Joe then grabbed the other two. "I'll explain later, let's go."

Within ten minutes, Esposito and Ryan sat in the far back seat of a van while Beckett and Joe shared the middle seat. They watched in fascination as their driver wove his way through traffic.

Beckett looked at Kirsten who sat in the front seat. "This seems like an awful lot of traffic for this time of the morning.

Kirsten nodded. "It's not traffic. It's my team working together to make sure that we get you to safety."

They all looked surprised and quickly realized that with the number of cars being used and the number of lookalike vans that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to follow them.

Two hours later, the van pulled into an underground garage and they gasped when it seemed like the driver was going to drive into a brick wall. At the last second, the wall slid to the side and the van pulled inside a hallway. They watched nervously as the wall closed behind them. Another van identical to theirs continued through the garage and back out into the street.

Their van continued on a short way and pulled to a stop.

Kirsten smiled as she got out. "We're here."

"Where's here?" Joe wondered.

"Headquarters…come on."

Kirsten escorted her guests to a dining hall. It was reminiscent of a cafeteria where there were several stations with different types of quick grab items such as fresh fruit and yogurt as well as salads and cold sandwiches.

A man stood behind a counter waiting patiently to take their order.

"Order what you want," Kirsten announced. "Pancakes, omelets, waffles whatever. Or…if you talk nice to Carl he might make you a burger or chili if you have an iron stomach."

Joe, Esposito Ryan all ordered omelets while Beckett grabbed a yogurt and a fresh fruit salad. She glanced ahead and impulsively grabbed a banana nut muffin too.

Kirsten poured everyone fresh coffee and orange juice then headed to a big table in the empty hall. She laid out silverware on the table so everyone could grab what they needed.

Beckett took a seat then grabbed for a spoon and took the lid off her yogurt.

"Quite a spread you got here…" she said to Kirsten as she put the spoon up to her mouth.

"We have a huge crew working here, you've got to feed them or they get cranky."

The guys walked up and Kirsten and Beckett made faces at their plates. Joe's was piled high with bacon and cheese as well as corned beef hash. Ryan's had bacon, ham, mushrooms, green peppers and onions as well as cheese and Esposito's was covered with salsa and jalapeno peppers.

"Ack!" Kirsten said to each of them.

"What?" Esposito asked innocently as he glanced at her plate. "I ain't a rabbit…"

Beckett smiled. "You're not a garbage disposal either."

Ryan laughed. "We don't get to eat like this too often…"

Joe choked on a piece of bacon. "My wife wouldn't let me have this much bacon even if I could wrestle it away from my kids."

They made small talk while they ate the rest of their meals. Kirsten picked up their dirty dishes and walked them over to the conveyor belt that would take them back to the kitchen.

"Did everyone get enough to eat?" Each of them nodded and she motioned for the door. "Then…if you'll follow me, our team has been waiting for you."

They cast curious glances amongst themselves as they stood and followed her down the hall through two double doors. As they followed her through the doors, they stopped and stared in wonder.

The doors led into a huge lecture room with an older gentleman standing at the front of it. Surrounding him were three levels of desks that were filled with men and women waiting patiently.

"Hello…welcome," the gentleman said. "My name is General Phillips, please take a seat." He motioned to the row of five seats directly in front of him. They walked over and sat while the man reached for a small device and flipped a switch.

"Crew A…the Senator of course needs no introductions but this gentlemen is New York District Attorney Joe Maxwell." Joe raised his hand to acknowledge the introduction. "And these fine people are NYPD Detectives Beckett, Esposito and Ryan…"

Each of them nodded to the group before Phillips looked down at them. "Crew A will be the team working closely with you and you can learn their names as you need to but for now let's get started." He hit a button on his remote and the room went dark.

"Crew A…some of this will be review for you but for our guests we will briefly go over our facts to get them up to speed."

Beckett recognized the board as being identical to the one Castle's CIA friend Sophia had used. Phillips walked up to the board and started quickly touching various points around the screen. The four newcomers listened intently while Phillips explained the information that their operatives had been able to uncover over the years.

"Okay…that brings everyone up to speed. Crew A…this is what the DA and the good detectives of New York have brought to the table.

Joe frowned when he saw the picture of their hard work flash onto the screen. Comparing it to the technology in front of him, it did seem primitive and childlike. "We did the best we could with our limited funding," he defended.

"Joe…" Kirsten warned quietly as she shook her head.

The General pretended not to hear them, and Joe and the three detectives were astonished as their information was transposed into a digital record on the board in front of them. The General "pulled" down another file and placed it on top of theirs and Beckett gasped as a new file was created from their information as well as Crew A's.

Murmurs could be heard around the room and the General smiled. "Okay, Crew A…you can thank our guests later for their input." He pushed another button on his remote. What had looked like regular desks in the room suddenly lit up.

The detectives each sat back and looked down with disbelief. In front of each of them was a computer screen that showed a duplicate screen of the data from the big screen.

"Oh man!" Ryan gushed.

"Freaking awesome," Esposito whispered.

Beckett glanced around the room to see everyone's head down, studying the data. She looked down herself and immersed herself in the new information. Her eyes quickly skipped ahead to anything on her mom's murder and she filed away in her memory the small amount of information that was there.

Silence filled the room while the Phillips waited for the crew to read through the information. He nodded to Kirsten. "Senator."

Kirsten stood in the front of the room next to him. "As you can see by the information provided by the NYPD, Ares' reign of terror has dated back at least as far as the mid 80's."

"Ares?" Kate whispered as she and the others looked down at their screens again.

Kirsten overheard her and continued. "That's what we call him…Ares…he's the head of…"

"The world…" Phillips interrupted with a sarcastic snort. Chuckles could be heard around the room before he turned serious again. "I'm sorry Kirsten…It's actually not funny at all, Detective Beckett…Ares has some type of presence in every major city or province in the world. There's not a place you can name that hasn't been touched by his power.

"With all due respect then, General…why bring us in?" Beckett wondered. "We're kind of out of our league…I mean…a DA and some homicide detectives from New York can't possibly offer you anything."

Phillips held up his hand towards the people in the room. "Everyone please stand." Every person followed his orders and he smiled at them. "Any person who is a police officer or detective please take a seat." Better than half of the people sat back down. "Now…can all of the people who have had someone important in their lives fall prey to Ares power take a seat…" Most of the rest of the people sat and Beckett looked up again at the thirteen or so people that remained standing. "This Detective is the number of operatives that we have managed to find that Ares has not bought and paid for."

Kirsten shrugged. "Kate, most of these people have lost someone as special to them as your mom was to you and my dad was to me. Can you find a better more dedicated team?"

"What about the danger of involving civilians?" Joe asked.

Phillips sighed. "We haven't done anything yet but fact find, Joe. We were hoping that you and your team would join with our operatives and help us into the next phase…"

Joe looked at Beckett and knew she was in…he glanced at Ryan who nodded slightly and Esposito who shrugged his assent.

"Yeah…we're in," he answered Phillips.

"What's the mission, Sir?" Beckett asked.

The room grew silent as Phillips clicked a button and showed a picture of an island. "Infiltrate Ares' compound."

Joe blew out a long breath as the picture of the island grew closer. "Holy shit…his compound is an island?"

Esposito chuckled. "It's freakin' huge."

"It's gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack," Ryan added.

Beckett smirked determinedly as a gleam came to her eye. "It's not big enough for him to hide from me."

The next few days, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito worked with the operatives to come up with a plan to take over the compound, while Joe worked with Kristen and Phillips to find a way to get the team of twenty to the Caribbean.

Phillips sighed aloud. "Joe, I can get the main operatives there with government funding but I have no way to get you four there."

Joe scowled. "I'll come up with something…"

Esposito looked at Beckett. "You could ask Castle…"

Beckett shrugged and thought that with the way things had been lately, he would probably tell her no.

She was saved when Ryan stepped up. "Joe, Zack could fly us there."

"Zack…good idea…can you get a hold of him?"

Ryan grabbed his phone. "I can try…"

"Who's Zack?" Kirsten wondered. "Can he be trusted?"

Joe nodded and looked pointedly at Beckett and Esposito to offer further information. "Zack's a guy that Kevin grew up with…I know he can keep a secret."

Beckett and Esposito exchanged glances and Joe knew that had both understood that Zack was a helper from the world Below.

The final meeting came before they were to leave. All operatives involved in the infiltration operation sat in the lecture room. Silence filled the room as each of them hung on every word that General Phillips said.

"At precisely 11:15, Team 1 will secure the outer perimeter of the compound as well as all the buildings included in the first diagram. When they've completed their task Team 2 will secure the inner perimeter. At this point, all of Ares' security points should be under our control. Team 3 will secure the house and remove anyone they may find inside."

"What do we do if we capture anyone?" Ryan asked.

"If we get as far as the house before we find someone it will be out of our hands and it becomes an international matter. You all have your travel plans…I hope everyone has a safe passage and we'll meet up again at our new headquarters tomorrow night at this time."

Kirsten stepped up to them. "Team 7 will get you to the airport where Zack will be waiting. Good Luck."

They traveled quickly and arrived at a desolate farm out on Long Island. Beckett and Esposito followed behind Joe and Ryan as they walked out towards a barn. A man suddenly stepped out from around the corner.

Beckett balked for a second and readied her hand to go to her gun. She relaxed when Ryan took off running.

"Zack!"

"Kevin…dude! What's up?!"

The two men hugged and pounded each others backs affectionately.

Joe walked up with his hand extended. "Hey, Zack!"

"Joe! How's it going?"

"It's going…"

"How's Jenny and the kids?"

"Good, they're Below right now…"

Zack's smile faded. "Kevin told me…that's good they'll be safe there until this is over."

"Yeah."

Ryan introduced Beckett and Esposito and within ten minutes Zack was flying them towards their meeting place.

They arrived safely and checked in with Kirsten and Phillips who were waiting patiently for everyone to arrive.

Phillips sat them all down in a back room. "First problem we encountered is how to get your team to the island."

Beckett frowned. "I assumed we'd take a boat."

"Me too. Except the local force came in…all but three of the marina's boats have been dry docked."

"Now what," said Esposito.

"There's a helicopter pad not too far from here. I'm trying to locate a chopper and pilot."

Zack stepped forward. "General Phillips, Zack Williams. You get me a chopper, and I'll be your pilot."

Phillips looked at the others. "Are you vouching for him?"

"I will," Ryan said.

Kirsten picked up the phone. "Let me get a copter here for you…"

They rested for a few hours then met up with the rest of the teams for a final briefing. Everyone headed their separate ways as it was 10:10 and in one hour the mission was set to commence.

The hour passed too quickly.

"Let's get this over with, and we can make it back for Winterfest." Ryan offered as he stood.

Joe smiled. "Amen to that…I would love to surprise my family and keep at least one promise to them…"

"Winterfest…that big party you mentioned?" Esposito asked Ryan.

"Yeah…"

Beckett thought about Castle and how anxious she was to get this all behind her and begin a new life. "Let's do it then…"


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Miles away, on the island itself, a woman was locked in her bedroom on the third floor of the mansion. She sat curled up in a huge chair quietly reading a book.

Suddenly, she felt waves of adrenaline course through her body. "My God!" she gasped aloud as her thoughts raced to her twin sons. It had been a year since she had last been allowed to see them but she had been able to _feel_ them frequently through the bond that had developed when they were children.

She shot to her feet and began to pace. She was frantically trying to come up with a plan of escape but she knew she would never leave the complex without her sons. She sat back down on the bed and chewed nervously on her nails. She had decided to wait until Ares let her out. She could hear shots ringing out around her but years of obedience kept her seated on the bed.

Struck with an idea, she lay with her ear pressed to the floor and heard the flurry of activity on the level below her.

The lights suddenly went out and she knew the power had been cut. Luckily, the moon was bright and she looked desperately around the room for some type of a weapon but there was just nothing there. Her eyes stopped on the closet as she thought of the items in there. Dismissing it, she kept scanning the room until a thought struck her. She ran to the closet and whipped the door open then started to fling her clothes on the floor. When a section was emptied, she pried the dowel bar loose from its cradle and sighed as she looked at it…it was primitive…yes, but it was solid wood and she felt a little better with some type of weapon.

She grabbed her make up case from the bathroom and dumped it out into the sink. She spotted the hidden makeshift key to her door and grabbed for it then headed back to the door. She pressed her ear against it but could hear no activity as she silently worked the lock open.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest. Ares had been tolerant of her for years in fear that the twins would become sick again and need her. But she had known for some time that she was on bided time and now that the twins were old enough to fend for themselves she was definitely expendable. She knew if she was caught outside of her room she would be killed instantly.

She glanced at the camera mounted at the end of the hallway then sighed with relief when she realized the back up generator had not turned it on. She frowned and stopped in her tracks. Whoever was responsible for starting the generators was obviously doing something else and she realized that whatever was going on was more dangerous than she thought.

She made her way quickly down the hall. She knew no one would be on this floor as the rooms were all for her personal use. There was a library and a workout room and an expansive office complete with internet capabilities.

She came to the steps and listened to the sounds below. Hearing nothing, she stealthily headed down them. She could see no one as she came to the bottom of the first landing. Licking her lips, nervously she headed to the main level. Half way down the next flight of steps, she gasped and slammed to a stop. On the landing was one of the body guards. He was holding his hand over a hole in his chest that was bleeding profusely. His eyes were closed and she spotted his gun on the landing next to him. She laid the dowel bar down, and assuming he was dead, leaned over to pick up the gun. The guard reached out and grabbed her hand and she gasped fearfully and fell back on the bottom stair.

"Get out of here quickly, kid."

She frowned at the guard who had always been nice to her. "Stan? I thought you were…"

He gasped for breath. "I will be…"

"Let me find someone to help you…"

"No…get yourself out."

"Stan, I've got to find my boys."

"Coming for you…there was a fire down there…" he gasped. "Ares went to get them…explosion…he's dead."

She knew he was moments away from dying and grabbed for his hand. "Stan…were there any signs of my sons?"

Stan shook his head no and his eyes glazed over as he took his final breath.

She gasped and swiped at the tears in her eyes. She placed his hand on his chest and grabbed for his gun as she leapt to her feet.

She ran down the steps as thoughts raced through her head. Ares was dead. Now was the time for her and the boys to escape. She could only hope that in all the confusion they wouldn't be missed.

She headed to the front door and was just about to open it when someone opened it on her and she backed up and aimed her gun instinctively.

"Freeze! Police! Drop the gun!" Beckett screamed out. When the woman didn't respond Beckett spoke more forcefully. "I said drop it!"

Both women stood at a dead heat. Neither was willing to give up the upper hand.

When she wasn't shot immediately, the woman had felt a glimmer of hope and her hand shook slightly. "Who are you?"

"The police, drop your weapon."

"Why should I believe you?"

Beckett moved stealthily from the doorway and the moonlight lit the woman's face. She blinked rapidly as her mind raced to remember where she had seen the face before.

A low whining sound could be heard coming from outside as a generator finally roared to life. The lights in the house flickered then came on and both women stared at one another in the full light.

Beckett gasped aloud when she realized that standing in front of her was an older version of the woman in the portrait in Vincent's chamber. Curiously, she took a chance. "Catherine Chandler?" The woman's weapon wavered at the sound of her full name. "Oh my God! Are you Catherine Chandler?" Beckett asked forcefully as she marginally lowered her weapon.

"I used to be…" Catherine said as the gun wavered in her hands as well.

"You still are…" Beckett declared as she lowered her weapon then stepped forward and quickly glanced around the rooms that she could see. "The man that owns this island…Ares…is dead. You're gonna be all right now."

Ryan and Esposito came running into the room and Catherine raised her weapon again.

Joe came quickly in behind them and slammed to a stop when he looked at the woman behind the gun. "Holy Shit!"

Catherine blinked then cried out with surprise. "Joe?!"

Joe stepped back a few feet as he gasped from the shock. "Cathy?!"

"Yeah...it's me."

"What…how…?"

Catherine lowered her gun as Joe scooped her up and hugged her fiercely. Catherine's arms came around him; and for the first time in twenty two years, she felt like she could breathe.

"I can't believe you're alive! You sure are a pleasant surprise in this whole mess."

Ryan looked with confusion over at Beckett. "Did I hear you say Catherine Chandler?"

"Yeah."

"She's alive?!"

"Looks like it…" Beckett said as she nodded towards Catherine and Joe.

"Oh my God!" Ryan said as he shook his head with shock. "We've got to get her out of here, come up with time to think before she gets thrown to the wolves."

Esposito looked over at Beckett. "Compound's secure. FBI is on the way. If we want to avoid questions we better get her outta here now."

Catherine stepped back from Joe and shook her head vigorously. "I can't go with you..."

Assuming she was afraid from her years of captivity, Joe reached up and cupped her face. "You're safe now, Cathy. You can come with me. You're going to be okay…"

Catherine grew agitated. "I can't…I have to look for…something that belongs to me…"

Esposito frowned. "We don't have much time…let us help you look."

"No!" Catherine almost shouted. "I have to look for it alone…I…can't explain it…"

Assuming it was her purse or maybe a bracelet, Beckett rolled her eyes. "There's not enough time, whatever it is you'll have to leave it behind…"

"No…I won't go without it."

Ryan stepped forward with a smile plastered on his face. "Even if everyone in the tunnels will be waiting for you?"

Catherine's eyes grew wide as she backed away from them fearfully and wrapped her arms protectively about herself. "What?!"

Joe saw her distress and guessed correctly why she was so upset. "Cathy…everyone here knows about Vincent and the world Below."

She looked at Joe in shock. "I…have no idea what you're talking about and I don't know anyone named Vincent."

As the trained officers exchanged glances, Esposito scowled. "Amnesia…we can stop worrying…she won't be able to tell them anything."

"Great!" Beckett sighed. "There goes our chance at some inside information."

"Shit!" Joe spat out angrily as he stepped forward and tried to offer her comfort. "You remembered me, Cath…do you remember how we met?"

"Of course I do!" At his questioning look, she rolled her eyes. "I worked with you at the DA's office…"

Trying to press the issue again, Ryan stepped forward cautiously. "Catherine, you probably don't remember me…my name is Kevin. As a kid, I used to spend a lot of time Below when my Dad worked. I'm Pascal's nephew…I used to hang out with Kipper and Samantha and Jeffery and then Eric after you brought him down."

Catherine stared at him in disbelief. He said all the names from the past she would need to hear to trust him and she nervously wiped her face with her hands. "I…don't know what you're talking about."

"I wasn't Below much but I did meet you once at Winterfest and then again at a musical recital." Ryan reiterated.

Joe saw the flicker of hope cross her face before she quickly covered her reaction. He realized she was lying and still trying to protect the world Below. "It's okay, Radcliffe, you can trust us."

"I…don't know if I can believe you."

"Well…if I had time I would convince you but I don't…so…"

Catherine began to pace.

Esposito frowned and looked at the group anxiously. "Look…we don't have much time…"

Catherine looked at Joe and hoped she still had some persuasion with him as she pleaded with him. "Let me look…please…if you let me go alone then I'll know you trust me!"

Joe sighed. "Cath, what's so important?"

Time was running out and she knew it, finally, in desperation, she let her guard down. "Kids…Joe…I need to find my sons."

Joe blinked in shock at the news as Beckett stepped in forcefully. "How many kids and how old?"

"Twin boys…they're sixteen."

Beckett nodded. "Ok…we'll start looking…" She looked at Esposito and Ryan. "You two check the perimeter, I'll look in the bunker."

"Wait, you can't…look!" Catherine knew she sounded like a lunatic but she sighed and looked at them desperately. "They look…different…and they're dangerous…or they could be…they're highly trained at self defense…"

Esposito rolled his eyes. "Okay…we got it…weird looking 16 year olds with an attitude…never dealt with them before…" he grumbled as he walked towards the door.

Beckett caught Joe's eyes. "Joe, this will show a willingness to be here not forced captivity…"

Joe frowned at the implications that Catherine had chosen to live here and have a family as opposed to being a captive. Being close to her in the past, he chose to still believe in the latter. He also knew Catherine wouldn't have said something about the kids if it didn't hold some weight. He grabbed for her hand and squeezed if forcefully. "Cath…why are your boys so different?"

Catherine was desperate to start the search and was being kept from doing it and in her frustration, she exploded angrily. "Because they're Vincent's kids! They look just like Vincent but damn it, Joe…they're ten time more dangerous!"

Roars could be heard coming from a lower level and Catherine whirled around and took off towards the sound. The other four looked at one another then followed close on her heels. They stopped abruptly when they rounded the corner and two huge versions of Vincent stood in front of them, teeth bared and angry roars coming from them.

Catherine stood between them and her sons. "It's okay boys…they're here to save us…"

The twins lowered their defenses but low growls still came from them as they watched Joe step forward cautiously with his hands up in surrender. "Hey…look…I got six kids of my own…I know you guys don't trust us and I get that…I do….but a hundred years ago you're mom and I worked together…and we were pretty good friends back then…"

The twin on the left looked down at his mother for confirmation and she nodded. They seemed to relax but stood there and looked warily at the four newcomers.

Joe continued. "Your mom doesn't know it but a few months after she died…well…was kidnapped…I met your father and your older brother."

Catherine tensed and looked at Joe distrustfully. She slowly raised her weapon and backed up in front of the boys. Once again, the twins looked at him menacingly and readied their stances for battle.

Beckett sucked in a breath while Esposito slowly raised his weapon and Ryan stepped by Joe's side.

"What? What did I say?" Joe asked.

"What game are you playing, Joe?" Catherine asked angrily.

Joe threw up his hands in confusion. "No game, Cathy. I swear!"

Catherine looked at him and pointed her gun at his chest. "Vincent was killed a short time after I gave birth and then my son got sick and died a little while after that."

"What?! I don't know why you think that but you're very wrong!"

Catherine shook her head furiously. "I saw it Joe, I saw Vincent get electrocuted in a cage as he tried to get to my son!"

Joe pleaded with her. "Radcliffe…I swear to you Vincent and Jacob are very much alive."

"Jacob?"

"Your son…"

Joe had taken a step towards her, but the twins growled a warning and Beckett stepped forward slowly. "Miss Chandler…think about this…not one of us showed the least bit of surprise upon seeing your sons…don't you think that's kind of odd?"

Catherine looked at her for a moment, and as the reality of the news sank in, she dropped the gun and stepped back then collapsed into the arms of the son on the left.

"Mom?" he said nervously as his arms tightened around her. "Mom!"

His twin looked nervously at the group, and Joe could see him debating between letting his guard down and helping his mother.

Finally, he gave up and went to help his brother. "Mom!"

Joe nodded at the others. "Let's get them outta here." He turned back to the twins. "Can one of you carry her?"

"Yeah," said the twin that she had collapsed against. He easily picked her up then followed Esposito and Ryan as they led the way outside. Beckett followed him, then his twin fell into line and Joe brought up the rear.

Joe put his arm around the last kid. "I'm glad you decided to trust us…when this is all over we'll be good friends."

"We've…never had friends…"

"Well…you're gonna have about two hundred in a few short hours."

Esposito opened the back door to a black SUV. "Get in…" he ordered the twins.

The twins exchanged worried glances then followed the orders, putting their mother safely on the seat between them.

Joe looked over at Beckett. "This is a huge opportunity for you three. I want you to stay here and take some credit for helping to bring down Ares' empire."

Beckett shook her head. "Sir…I don't think…"

Joe held up his hand, interrupting her. "Really…I'll drive Catherine and the boys to the chopper…get them taken care of…you guys stay here, field the questions, then you can follow later."

Ryan and Esposito took off as they saw headlights coming down the driveway.

"We'll delay them! Get her the hell outta here…" Esposito shouted over his shoulder.

Beckett wavered and Joe gently tapped her arm. "Go…make it worthwhile."

He hopped into the driver's seat and waited until he was hidden behind the safety of the trees to gun the engine and take off down the little used service road.

Catherine began to stir as the car jostled on the uneven ground.

"Mom…Mom?" the twins chorused.

Joe handed back a water bottle. "Here…"

The twin not holding her, twisted the cap and put it to her lips. Catherine sipped at it then wiped her hand across her mouth. "I'm…sorry, Charles."

"That's okay, Mom," he smiled.

"Are you all right?" asked the other twin.

"Yeah, Devin…I am."

Joe smiled as he looked into the rearview mirror. "So Charles and Devin…nice to meet you two."

The twins looked at one another shyly. ""Nice to meet you too, Sir," they murmured.

"I'd like to say I know all about you but…well…your dad never mentioned you." Joe said lightly.

His sarcasm wasn't lost on the twins and they smiled at the joke then seemed to relax.

"Joe…" Catherine sighed with distress.

"I'm sorry I said it so abruptly, Radcliffe. Really…"

"Are they really alive, Joe?"

"Yeah...and doing great…I swear…" Joe sighed and looked in the rearview mirror again. "We'll sort this all out later but you _were_ right…sort of. Vincent _was_ electrocuted…but he lived through it…his hands were badly burned, but he definitely lived through it. Another woman, one of our top investigators, found him and together they rescued Jacob."

"And our son...Jacob…I can't believe he survived…is he healthy, Joe?"

"As an ox…he's just a little smaller than these two goons…" he laughed as he nodded towards the twins. "But not by much."

Catherine smiled weakly. "I guess you boys will be getting an older brother…"

The twins exchanged nervous looks and Charles took charge of the situation that for them was quickly spiraling out of control. "Where are we going?"

"To your father's world," Joe explained.

Catherine sighed and put one of her hands on each of their legs. "You know I told you he lived separate and apart from the rest of the world….what I didn't tell you is that he lives in tunnels and chambers that run all through the underbelly of New York."

"How will we get there?" Devin wondered.

Joe caught Catherine's eye again in the rearview mirror. "One of the tunnel kids you knew became a pilot…" At Catherine's questioning glance he continued. "I think he was about fourteen or fifteen when you met him…Zack was his name."

Catherine nodded as she remembered what a free spirit Zack had always been. "That makes sense that he became a pilot."

"He's waiting in a field about three miles from here."

They could hear more sirens in the distance and she became nervous. "Hurry, Joe."

It was only a few minutes later when Joe pulled into a clearing and they spotted a helicopter.

Assuming the twins would be nervous about their first flight. "Now, there's no reason to be nervous. Zack is an excellent pilot."

The twins laughed aloud as Charles explained to a stunned Joe. "We're pilots ourselves. Ares taught us two years ago how to fly almost every aircraft made."

Joe raced the SUV to a stop and Devin, picking up on the urgency in Catherine's tone replied nervously. "C'mon, let's get out of here…"

Zack started the engine as the four ran across the field towards him. Within minutes, they were airborne.

"Hey Catherine, remember me?"

"How could I forget you, Zack? You look exactly the same."

"You too."

Catherine relaxed into her seat and smiled. "Liar!"

Zack glanced at the twins. "Wow, you two look just like your dad!"

"So we've heard," Devin answered.

"Don't be nervous about meeting him…he's a great guy..."

"I bet," Charles smiled weakly.

"Look judge for yourself…you'll be meeting him in a few short hours." Zack smiled.

Knowing they weren't getting to New York in a helicopter, Charles cocked his head curiously at Zack. "We're obviously stopping somewhere to get into another aircraft."

"Yeah, we have a plane hidden on an adjoining island. Once we get there we'll head to the states."

"Joe, I think with the change in circumstances, we should head to Connecticut instead of Long Island," Zack offered.

Joe nodded. "Yeah, Zack, good idea. From there it's just a short drive to New York."

"Connecticut?" Catherine asked with surprise. "Who owns a landing strip there?"

Joe laughed. "Actually…you do…or rather Jacob does. After we found out about Vincent…Peter Alcott, Jenny and I got Jacob declared your heir…he inherited everything."

"Jenny?"

"Aaronson."

"My Jenny Aaronson?"

"Uh, huh….except it's Maxwell now…" Joe grinned.

"Maxwell…?" Catherine gasped incredulously. "You two got married?!"

"Uh, huh!"

Catherine looked at the boys as she explained. "Jenny was my best friend from childhood." A thought from earlier dawned on her and she turned back to Joe. "And you and she had six kids?!"

"Uh, huh…5 girls and a boy."

"Oh my God!"

"Vincent's the godfather to my oldest daughter, Debbie."

Catherine smiled sadly. "I missed a whole lifetime…"

Zack began his descent and the group changed from the helicopter to the plane in record time.

On the second flight, the twins sat as close to the cockpit as they could and were soon lost in stories that Zack was relating.

Catherine fiddled with her hands and Joe reached out and grabbed them. "What's up, kiddo?"

"I'm a little scared…"

"Of what?"

Catherine shrugged and looked away then sighed and looked back at Joe. "Are you and Vincent really good friends?"

"Yeah…the best…why?"

"Would you tell me the truth about something if I asked you?"

"You know I would, Cath! Ask…"

Catherine chewed her lip nervously. "Is there someone else in his life, Joe?"

"Vincent's?" After she rolled her eyes, he guessed who she meant.

"Yes."

Joe was relieved her question was an easy one to answer. "No."

"No?!" Catherine said hopefully.

"No way, Radcliffe."

"He never found anyone else to…love? There was never any one…"

"Well…" Joe grinned mischievously.

"Joe…"

"I'm kidding…I swear…on my mother's lasagna…there has never been anyone else in his life."

Catherine felt relief wash over her as she felt hope spring to life. The twins glanced back at her. Devin's face showed curiosity and Charles' showed alarm. She smiled reassuringly at them. They could see her happiness and smiled back then quickly turned their attention back to Zack.

"They seem like good kids…"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah…they've grown so much…I haven't seen them in almost a year…"

"What?!"

"I'll explain it all, later."

"Even the part about how Vincent's their father?"

Catherine chuckled and looked pointedly over at the boys then squeezed Joe's hands. "Yeah…"

Joe guessed correctly she didn't want to talk in front of them so he nodded. "Okay…"

Catherine sat back in her seat with a deep sigh. "How'd you find me, Joe?"

"I didn't…find you…I mean… I had no idea you were alive. Detective Beckett unknowingly uncovered this whole thing while she was investigating her mother's murder."

Joe spent the rest of the flight relating the entire story. Zack was beginning his descent when he finished up with the long tale.

The group came out of the plane into the light of early dawn.

Joe turned to Catherine. "Traffic is going to start getting bad…"

Catherine had been scanning her surroundings and looked back at him. "We're near my childhood cabin aren't we?"

"Yeah…Jacob slowly bought up the land as the neighbors sold it…he owns close to one hundred acres now. This is the air strip at the south end…"

Zack, followed by the twins, gave the plane a quick but thorough examination. "Look, I'm gonna refuel and ready this baby just in case…I'll meet you up at the cabin after awhile."

Devin looked at his mother. "Can we help, Zack?"

Catherine wavered but Joe took the lead. "Sorry, guys. This isn't some island you'll have free run of…we need to get you safely inside."

The boys nodded and sadly looked back at Zack as they followed Joe down the well worn path.

Catherine quickly got her bearings and took the lead. Joe was surprised at how healthy she was as she and the boys quickened their pace.

He laughed aloud at them as they began to jog. "Why are we in a hurry?"

Catherine smiled happily over her shoulder. "Because I'm free and I'm almost home."

Catherine stopped on the front porch of the cabin and looked down towards the lake. "I used to spend every summer here with your grandparents."

Devin smiled as he put his arm around her. "It reminds me of home..." He blushed furiously and looked down. "I mean…"

Catherine hugged him fiercely. "Its okay, Devin. The island was the only home you've ever known…and as much as I hate to think of you two growing up that way…I know that those will be the memories you'll share."

She turned to open the door to the cabin and Charles walked up and angrily punched his brother then innocently spoke to his mother. "Maybe we'll be able to make better memories when we meet our father."

Catherine turned back and looked curiously at Devin who was rubbing his arm and looking furiously as his brother, she smiled over at his twin. "I hope so, Charles."

They walked into the cabin and Catherine was flooded with memories of the past. The boys went off to investigate, and Joe smiled as they headed into the kitchen.

He walked up and pointed towards them while he looked at Catherine knowingly. "I bet they're hungry…"

"Mom, we're hungry…" Devin's voice floated from the other room at the same time as Joe spoke.

He turned to Catherine waving some car keys. "I'm going to run up to that corner grocery store and get us something to eat. We'll leave tonight…right after it gets dark."

"Okay…"

"Any preferences on food?"

Charles walked in and overheard Joe as he asked. "Anything!" he answered.

Joe grinned and headed towards the garage as Zack was walking up.

"Keep an eye on them will ya?"

Zack nodded. "Got it covered."

Joe pulled out of the drive way and headed towards the store. As he drove, he tried to call Jenny with his cell phone but she didn't answer.

Still being protective even though he knew Ares' empire had fallen, when he pulled up in front of the store, he sent a cryptic text message to Debbie. "Case solved…coming home tonight…tell Mom I ran into her best friend from childhood…bringing her and her two boys home with me."

Joe ran through the store and grabbed all the fixings for the cheeseburgers he wanted to cook on the grill. He also grabbed three boxes of macaroni and cheese and in deference to Catherine, all the items to make a healthy salad. On his way passed the cooler, he grabbed some cans of pop and a gallon of milk.

He had just loaded it all in the trunk of his car when his phone rang. He glanced at the number and smiled as he answered it. "Hey, babe! You got the good news?!"

Solid static came over the line but he could faintly hear Jenny in the background so he shouted. "Babe, I can barely hear you but I found Cathy!"

"Cathy who?"

"Chandler!"

"What?!"

"Catherine's alive, sweetheart!"

"Joe?! Are you all right?"

"Yeah! Jen, it's true…I swear…"

"Really…she's alive?!"

"Yeah, we're coming back tonight…"

"With her two kids?"

"Yeah, twin 16 year olds; they look just like Vincent…"

The static on the line was horrible then it just went dead.

"What about Vincent?" Jenny shouted into the phone as she heard the line go dead.

Joe frowned at the low battery warning flashing on his screen. "Damn."

He got into the car and plugged the phone into the lighter to charge it as he drove back to the cabin.

Zack helped him bring in the grocery bags while Joe went to light the grill. Catherine quickly cut up the vegetables and made a huge salad while she waited for the water to boil for the macaroni noodles. Joe came in and grabbed the hamburger patties then headed back outside.

"Can you boys set the table?" she called out to the twins.

The brothers came in quickly from the living room, Devin grabbed the plates and bowls while Charles grabbed the silverware along with the buns and all the condiments Joe had purchased.

Joe looked in the screen door. "You kids like your burgers mooing?"

Devin grinned at the unfamiliar term while Charles quickly called out. "Medium, please!"

"Zack?"

"I'll have mine rare!"

Joe cooked all but three medium and it wasn't long before he was able to come in with a huge platter of cooked patties.

Catherine gasped. "Joe, who is all of this food for?"

Joe cocked his head curiously at her. "Have you seen the size of your boys?"

Catherine laughed as she shook her head. "They'll never eat this much!"

She grabbed the bowl of salad and passed it around. Not knowing if the boys were good eaters or not, Joe was pleased when they each filled their salad bowls that he had bought enough fixings for everyone.

Zack did a good job of polishing off two of his three burgers and a good size serving of macaroni and cheese. Joe ate two burgers as well but chose salad over the cheesy side dish. Catherine opted to eat the rest of the salad, while the twins wolfed down the rest of the macaroni and cheese as well as three hamburgers each.

They eyed the platter of leftover burgers in front of them then looked at each other nervously. Joe caught the look and knew they each wanted a fourth burger.

"You guys should try to eat some more…I'd hate to see all that food go to waste…"

Each of them grabbed for another burger as Catherine watched in horror. "You're gonna be sick!"

They each had a huge mouthful as they looked at her and blushed furiously.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Women! What do they know about a growing boy's appetite?"

Zack grinned and held his stomach. "He's right, Catherine. I used to be able to eat like that too. William used to go nuts trying to fill us up."

Catherine knew she was outnumbered and shook her head in disgust. "I bet your girls don't eat like this…"

"Are you kidding me?! They eat like a small army. Debbie and Kelly don't…they're starting to watch their figures but Brittany and Amy can pack it away. Maria's still young enough her metabolism hasn't kicked in yet and Joey's already at the age where he's trying to eat like me."

Zack looked at the old friends. "I'll clean up in here then take Devin and Charles down by the lake…why don't you two go catch up."

Joe smiled and grabbed two cans of pop. "Let's go, Radcliffe…before they change their minds."

Charles cocked his head curiously at his mother. "Why's he keep calling you Radcliffe?"

Joe grinned. "It's where she went to college."

"Ohhh…." Charles said as he frowned and looked at Devin who shrugged.

Joe led Catherine into the living room and they sat down on the couch looking out over the lake.

"Tell me about your family, Joe…how'd you and Jenny end up together?"

"Okay, but you asked for it." Joe blew out a long breath. "Jenny and I grew close after we planned your funeral. I guess our shared grief kept bringing us back together. I was…devastated that I had gotten you involved in all of this…"

"No, Joe!"

He held up his hand to stop her. "But Jenny convinced me that it wasn't my fault. Then when Jacob was discovered alive we grew even closer. We met at Peter's house one night and he introduced us to Vincent together. He brought Jacob with him and when I saw Jenny holding him I realized she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Vincent was a surprise to say the least but Jenny and I realized why you fell in love with him and we all became good friends. He asked us to be Jacob's god parents and it wasn't long after that we started dating."

"I'm glad."

"We were married a month later and Debbie came two years later. She's eighteen and looks the most like Jenny. Kelly came next and she's seventeen and her mother's best helper. Brittany is my sixteen year old tomboy and a carbon copy of me..."

Catherine giggled. "Oh poor, Jenny!"

"Yeah, that's what my mom says. Well, then we had Amy who is fourteen and Maria came right behind her and she's thirteen. We thought we were done for good. Then we got surprised by Joey who's 8."

Catherine chuckled. "It couldn't have been too big of a surprise…certainly by the time you had five kids you had figured out how it happened."

Joe frowned. "Jenny was on the pill but I still used protection. Still…Joey was a hard pregnancy on her I wouldn't have had her go through that for anything…She was on bed rest the last few months which was not an easy feat for a woman with five kids."

"She's okay now?" Catherine asked with concern.

Joe smiled. "Yeah, fit as a fiddle."

"I can't wait to see her!"

Joe looked at his watch. "You got about eight more hours."

Catherine looked away nervously. "I wish we could tell them we were coming.'

Joe frowned. "Damn! I'm sorry, I meant to tell you I sent a message to Jenny. She called me…the connection was bad but I know she heard me say you were alive."

Catherine was still nervous about meeting Vincent for the first time and she imagined that the boys were even more so. "Joe, let's go talk to the twins about Vincent."

Joe stood and took her hand. "Good idea."

The two friends walked down by the lake and all five of them sat down on the deck. Charles and Devin listened attentively all afternoon while Catherine, Joe and Zack related stories about their father.

After her phone call, Jenny headed out to find Vincent. She came upon Jacob near the dining chamber. "Jacob."

"Hey, Aunt Jen."

"I'm glad I saw you. Are you busy? I need to speak to you and your father…"

Jacob shrugged. "I was heading to see if William had any brownies but I can skip it." He bent over and picked up a rock then tapped out a message. In a few seconds a reply came to him. "Dad's in the school chamber, he'll meet us in his chamber in ten minutes."

Jenny followed Jacob to Vincent's chamber and paced nervously while they waited for Vincent.

"Aunt Jen, what's up?"

Jenny shook her head nervously. "Let's…wait for your dad…"

Vincent walked silently into the room. "Dad is here."

"Hi, Vincent thanks for coming so quickly."

"Jacob said you wished to speak to us."

"Yes…I have some great news to share with you but…um…it's also going to be shocking and really hard to hear."

Vincent could tell that it was serious and he sat down next to her to offer his comfort and hopefully put her at ease. He nodded to Jacob to take a seat and then turned back to Jenny. "It's always easiest to just say it and then we can deal with the problem later."

Jenny smiled and nodded. "Joe found someone very important to us…"

Castle chose that moment to run wildly into the room. "Oh my God! Why are you just sitting here?! We should be planning a celebration!"

Vincent tried to gently guide Castle to the door. "I can tell you're very excited about something, Rick but Jenny was just about to tell us some important news..."

Castle waved his hand dismissively. "Her news can wait! Vincent, we should be getting ready to celebrate now that Catherine is alive and she'll be coming back here in a few hours."

Vincent's world fell away as the meaning of Rick's words washed over him. He stumbled back and sat down heavily on his bed.

Jacob stood up and looked at Castle incredulously. "What did you say?"

Castle looked from face to face as he realized they didn't know. "I thought you all knew…Kate and the guys found your mom…she's alive…"

"I think she's mistaken," Vincent said quietly. "Catherine's dead…I saw her take her last breath."

Castle shrugged. "All I know is they busted onto Ares' compound, he's dead now but they found Catherine. She was being held there all this time."

Jenny nodded in confirmation. "It's true, Vincent. Joe called me awhile ago." She looked at Castle with disapproval. "I had hoped to break the news more gently but…they're at the cabin in Connecticut. They'll be here tonight."

Jacob began to pace. "My mother's alive…is she okay…I mean…does she need medical care or…?"

Jenny stepped up and took his hands. "Jake…all I know is that Uncle Joe said he'd be bringing Catherine and her two sons here tonight."

Jacob gasped. "Sons?"

"Twins…sixteen year old boys."

"I have half brothers?"

"I guess so…Joe said something about your dad but I couldn't understand it."

They looked over at Vincent who was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

"Dad?" Jacob asked.

Jenny saw the state of shock that Vincent was in and sighed. "Leave us alone for awhile, will ya kiddo?"

Castle realized what the announcement had done to Vincent and he looked guiltily at Jenny. "I'm sorry…I was so excited…I didn't think…"

She smiled weakly and guided him and Jacob out the door. "Take care of Jake, Rick." She turned back and blew out a long breath then headed to sit by Vincent. She put her arms around him and brought his head to her shoulder as he cried. "I'm so sorry, Vincent."

He swiped at his eyes and began to pace the floor. "It's good news, Jenny, I know and I'm truly happy…I just don't know how it could be possible."

"Well, in a few hours she'll have the answers for you."

"Yes…"

Jenny cocked her head curiously at the tone in his voice. "Vincent…what is it?"

He started to speak then thought better of it and shook his head as he forced a smile. "Nothing, we'll welcome her and her sons here…I need to go tell Father."

Jenny frowned as Vincent left the room, she knew he had been shocked by the news but she hoped that he would feel better after he talked to Father. With a sigh, she headed to find her kids.

Vincent walked into the library and saw his Father reading in a chair.

"Father?"

Father took a second then looked up slowly. "Vincent, what are you doing here? Is it dinner time already?"

"No, Father, it's about three o'clock….I needed to speak with you."

Father snorted sarcastically. "Well I was about to go for a long walk but I guess I can put it off for awhile longer." Vincent gave him a small smile and Father saw that he had something serious on his mind. "For Pete's sake, Vincent, I'm an old man and don't have a lot of time to wait for you to work it out…sit down and tell me what has you so upset."

Vincent sat down and looked at his hands. "She's alive, Father."

"Who?" Vincent rolled his eyes as Father gasped with surprise as a thought popped into his head, "Surely you can't mean Catherine…"

"That's exactly who I mean."

"That's impossible!"

"That's what I thought but Rick and Jenny have both reported that Kate and Joe have found Catherine alive."

Father gasped in surprise. "Are they sure?"

"I don't know…it seems that Joe and the team found her last night. She was being held captive on an island. Joe rescued her and he has her at the lake house in Connecticut. They're coming here tonight."

"Why didn't he just bring her here first?"

"I don't know…all I know is that she's alive and she's coming back."

Father sighed as he looked at his son. "I can't even begin to know how this makes you feel…"

Vincent searched for the words. "I'm beside myself with joy…my heart is searching for hers as we speak but…I…can't allow myself to dream again…she's had another life, Father…"

"I thought that of Margaret too and she came back to me. Catherine loved you once, Vincent, maybe it will be the same way for both of you."

Vincent hung his head as he shook it sadly. "She moved on and found love with someone else…she has twin boys that are sixteen."

"Jacob has half brothers then?"

"Yes."

"And now you feel there will be no place for you in her life?"

"I know there won't be…it's like losing her all over again."

Father grimaced at his son's pain. "I'm sorry, Vincent. I'm truly sorry."

"Me too."

"For Jacob's sake you need to find the strength to talk to her…"

"Yes…I know."

"It will be awkward at first but…it will get easier…."

"Perhaps…"

"Where's Jacob?"

"With Rick, I should find him…speak with him."

"Rick is an overgrown teenager but…he's also a father and a good one at that…he'll talk to Jacob but I'm guessing Jacob _would_ rather hear from you. He's probably having all these same doubts."

Vincent blew out a long breath. "I'll go look for him."

Father reached out a hand to his son. "I'm here for you…both of you if you need me."

Vincent came over and kissed his forehead. "I know."

Vincent left and found Jacob standing in his chamber staring at the portrait of his parents. He walked over and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, Dad."

"Son…"

"She was beautiful…I mean… _is_ beautiful."

"Yes."

"I look exactly like her."

"When you remember to shave…" Vincent joked.

Jacob gave him a half smile then turned back to the portrait. "Why didn't she try to come back…"

Vincent sighed. "Maybe she couldn't."

"Or wouldn't…she could have sent word."

"Jacob…" Vincent sighed.

"I can't help it, Dad! I've spent my entire life wanting to meet her and now that she's coming back…I don't know if I want to see her."

"You must…she gave you life…you owe her the chance to explain."

"I…guess…maybe I'm just anxious."

"You have no reason to be afraid of Catherine. She has a good heart…"

"Yeah…she had another life too…she has other children."

"I know."

"Dad, she knew about me and she supposedly loved you….how could she just forget about all of that….why didn't she ever ask about us? How could she just walk away so easily…"

Vincent shook his head. "You have to meet her, speak to her, if you decide after that to not have her be a part of your life that's your decision to make."

"Okay..."

"Jacob, because of her sons you'll have to meet her by yourself. I…"

"No Dad! I need you there with me."

"You know I can't…"

"Damn it, Dad! How can _you_ put her off so easily? Why don't _you_ want to know where she's been?"

"I…if she wishes to see me, I'll meet with her but…I think she's more anxious to meet you."

"She'll meet us both together or not at all…" Jacob said angrily as he stormed through the room.

"We'll see…" Vincent said sadly.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Late afternoon found Catherine pacing restlessly on the cabin porch.

Joe came out and handed her a cup of tea. "Pretty soon, kiddo."

Catherine frowned at him and sighed. "It's almost dark and you have tinted windows. If we left now by the time we hit any real traffic it would be dark…"

Joe thought about it and found the logic in her statement. "True…"

"Joe…they're so close…I don't know how much longer I can wait."

"I know, Cathy. I can't believe you're going to be the surprise guest at Winterfest this year."

"At this rate it will be next year!" Catherine argued impatiently.

He chuckled at her as he reached out and touched her shoulder. "So…let's get the show on the road…"

Catherine raced inside to get everything ready while Joe got on his cell phone. He texted Debbie to get Jacob and Vincent to their house so they could talk about the meeting arrangements.

Debbie ran full speed to the nearest pipe and tapped out a message to Jacob. Within ten minutes, he was standing with her in their basement dialing Joe's number.

"Hello!"

"Hey, Uncle Joe."

"Great news, hey kid?"

"Yeah, the best."

Jacob's lack of enthusiasm was lost on Joe who kept talking enthusiastically. "We'll be in the city within a couple hours, what's the best way to come Below?"

"Why don't we meet at Peter's apartment?"

"Peter's?! Jake I can't just waltz up the front steps past the doorman with your two brothers."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Fine…we'll meet at your house."

Jacob hung up and Debbie looked at him curiously. "What's up, Jake?"

"What?"

"Why the cold shoulder? Aren't you happy about your Mom coming back?"

"Yeah…" Jacob sighed. "Yeah…I'm just concerned about my Dad."

"Why?"

"He loved her, Deb…with all his heart and soul…"

Debbie frowned. "But that's a good thing…my Mom always said Aunt Cathy loved him just as much."

"Yeah…so much she faked her own death and dumped my dad and me."

"Jake! That's not fair!"

"Not fair?! She was the one that went out and started another family."

Debbie shook her head, knowing Jacob was wrong. "You don't know what the truth is…so stop guessing. Have you told your Dad how you feel?"

"Sort of…my Dad is so confused. I know he wants to see her…to hear what she has to say but…the other part of him wants her to stay where she is and be happy."

"I can't believe he doesn't love her anymore!"

"Grandfather told me my Dad always felt like my mom deserved better than living Below….that she'd be giving up too much to be with him."

"Like what?"

"Well back then she lived in Uncle Peter's apartment. She dated big time developers, was on the society gossip page every Monday….now we find out she's been living on a private island all these years surrounded by money…power….prestige…"

Debbie frowned then gasped aloud as a thought struck her. "Oh my God! What about all her money?"

"What about it?"

"Are you gonna have to give it back to her?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and shrugged. "It's hers…she can have it. The only thing I ever bought is more property around the cabin, I was hoping my Dad and I could start going there."

"Well…maybe you still can…you know…all go there together…"

"Deb…can you see some sixteen year olds hanging with my Dad? There probably spoiled rotten punks that will blow the whole damn secret."

Debbie spat out disgustedly. "My Dad's met them, he wouldn't bring them Below if he didn't trust them."

"Whatever…"

Debbie was tired of him talking down to her and shot him another angry look. "You know, Jacob…you can be a real ass sometimes. I could tell something was bothering you, and I was only trying to give you a chance to talk about it. You know what…wallow alone in your self pity!"

She whirled around and started to walk away. Jacob grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Hey! Debbie, come on…I'm really, really sorry. I can't believe I'm acting like a child, but my thoughts and feelings are just so jumbled right now. I hear what I'm saying, and even I can't believe this stuff is coming out of my mouth." At her look of disbelief, he continued to plead his case. "Come on…you know I'm not normally like this…"

"Yeah…normally you're okay."

"Just okay?!" Jacob said endearingly.

Debbie rolled her eyes as she hid her smile. "Yes, just okay. When you're not being condescending, I actually like you…you're like the older brother who goes away to college but tries to keep in touch."

Jacob gave her a quick hug. "Thanks, I mean it…sometimes I forget how cool you are."

Debbie returned the hug. "Come on, I'll wait with you…we'll meet your brothers together?"

"Um…yeah…that's fine. My Dad won't be here until I get a feel for the type of kids they are."

A few short hours later, Joe texted Debbie that they were a few blocks away.

Jacob ran to the basement to send a message to Vincent. He had to wait almost five minutes for a reply before he could head back upstairs.

Debbie was walking out the front door with two blankets when he came back. "Where are you going?"

She shrugged as she called out over her shoulder. "My Dad called and asked me to come out to the car with two blankets…"

She ran to the driver's side and waited for her dad to open the window.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, Dad!" Debbie called out happily as she tried to look at the other passengers.

"Go run and open up the front door, will ya kiddo?"

"Um…okay…"

Debbie briefly caught Catherine's eye and smiled then quickly rushed to do Joe's bidding.

Joe handed back the blankets to Devin and Charles who tossed them around their shoulders and over their heads before the four of them ran to the safety of the house.

Joe ran in first followed by Catherine and then the boys.

"Thanks, kid," Joe kissed Debbie and hugged her then turned to the others. "Welcome to my home."

"Your home?" Catherine asked with confusion. "Isn't this Peter's house?"

"Used to be…Jenny and I bought it from him after he moved into your apartment. Make yourselves comfortable."

Seeing that the boys were still hiding under their blankets and wanting to let them get over their awkwardness, Debbie tried to play hostess. "Can I get drinks for anyone?"

Catherine stepped forward and took her hand. "Debbie, I'm Cathy. Your mother and I were best friends a long time ago…you remind me so much of her."

Debbie smiled warmly as she tried to appear nonchalant. "I'm glad…as Moms go she's pretty cool…she can hardly wait to see you again."

Joe took Debbie's hand and led her into the kitchen to get their guests drinks.

Catherine looked over at a tall handsome guy standing off to the side. "Jacob?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah…" Jacob nodded and stepped forward. "Hi…um…Mom…"

Tears sprang to her eyes as she melted when he called her mom and she pulled him into a hug. "I can't believe you're alive. I was told you had died"

Jacob hugged her back just as warmly. "That's what I was told about you."

Charles and Devin had taken off their blankets and stood quietly waiting for someone to say something to them.

Jacob's back was to them when Catherine looked up. "Can I introduce you to your brothers?"

Jacob nodded and turned around, and his jaw dropped in shock. "Oh my God!"

Debbie walked in with four cans of pop and gasped. "Holy shit!"

"Debbie!" Joe reprimanded as he walked protectively over by the twins. He looked curiously at Jacob who seemed just as incredulous. "What's wrong with you two?"

Jacob looked at him then back at the twins who were looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I'm sorry…really…I just can't believe how much you look like my dad…well…our dad."

Joe frowned at Debbie. "I told your Mom all this on the phone, didn't she tell everyone."

Debbie shook her head. "It didn't come through…all she knew was that Cathy had two teenage boys…no one knew they were Vincent's."

Catherine's shoulders fell in defeat. "Which explains why he's not here…he heard I had other children and assumed I moved on and had a life with someone else."

Jacob realized she had hit the nail on the head and smiled weakly at her. "You know him well..."

Catherine sighed as she looked at him sadly. "I used to…"

Debbie looked at Catherine then at her Dad. "How can they be Vincent's?" she whispered to him.

Catherine overheard her and smiled. "Your Dad's been wondering that same thing for two days…and…as soon as we get Below I'll explain it all."

Jacob walked up to his still silent brothers and offered his hand. "I'm Jacob."

The twins exchanged glances then Charles slowly offered his hand. "Charles."

Jacob took his hand and the two squeezed hands strongly. Jacob smiled and turned to the other one who offered his hand as well. "Devin."

They also shook hands then Jacob turned towards the basement steps. "Well Mom…Charles…Devin…I'll lead the way and take you to see the man you're all anxious to meet!" The twins hesitated and Jacob laughed. "I'm your older brother you know…you have to listen to me."

Debbie rolled her eyes and handed Charles and Devin each a can of pop. "I'm Debbie, nice to meet you." She ignored their surprised looks and hugged each of them impulsively. "ust so you know…I have four younger sisters and a younger brother and _none_ of them listen to me."

"Ha!" Jacob said as he led the way followed by Devin then Charles.

Catherine listened on proudly as Jacob walked backwards and talked to them the entire time about the tunnels and the new world they were entering into. She was grateful he was doing whatever he could to put them all at ease.

They came to a pipe and he quickly tapped out a message then turned to his brothers. "We use a form of…"

Charles interrupted. "Morse code?"

"Yes." Jacob smiled.

"I figured out Vincent but not much more." Devin surprisingly said.

"How did you know?" Jacob gasped.

Charles smiled. "We've been trained to decipher codes. I knew that it was highly likely you were tapping a message to your…I mean _our_ father."

Debbie piped in. "Jacob also told him it was clear and he should come, he's probably on his way."

"Oh joy," Charles said nervously under his breath.

"Charles!" Catherine reprimanded lightly.

"Mom! What's wrong? Chuckie here said Oh boy!" Devin covered for his twin as he mimicked happily. "Didn't ya' Chuck?"

Catherine looked on suspiciously as Jacob laughed aloud and put his arms around each of their shoulders. "We're gonna have a blast learning about one another."

They continued to walk until they came into the Whispering Gallery. The boys were fascinated and stopped to listen while Catherine and Joe walked past them and took the lead.

Around the next bend, Vincent stood nervously in the tunnel way.

Catherine gasped when she saw him but at the hesitant look on his face she slowly walked forward and stopped uncertainly a few feet away from him. "Vincent."

To keep her at a distance, instead of hugging her Vincent took her hands in his. "Catherine."

Catherine wanted to leap in his arms but she understood his hesitation and smiled at him. "You look well."

"Catherine…words cannot describe how we felt when we received the news..."

Jacob came around the corner and laughed at him. "Dad! If you think that news was a shock wait until you meet these two." Charles and Devin hovered nervously out of sight and Jacob rolled his eyes at them. "Come on…trust me…his bark is worse than his bite."

The twins walked around the corner into the tunnel way and stood nervously looking ahead. Vincent gasped and leaned back against the wall for support. Catherine grabbed his cloak sleeve to stop his retreat then slipped her hand into his and squeezed gently. "I want you to meet our other two sons, Vincent." She pointed at the one on the left. "Charles and Devin," she said as she referred to the one on the right.

Vincent was speechless and Jacob broke the tension with a joke. "He's in shock because he's just realized he's outnumbered by sons…"

The twins smiled weakly as they looked at the only other person in the world that looked exactly like them.

"Dad!" Jacob's voice prompted Vincent into action.

Vincent's brow furrowed with confusion as he looked back and forth between the twins then at Catherine. "My sons?!"

Devin shrugged nonchalantly and cocked his head to the right endearingly. "That's what they keep telling us but without a paternity test I don't know of we should believe them."

Charles snorted at the joke and everyone started to laugh.

Vincent recovered from his shock and slowly walked to stand in front of the twins. "It's an honor to meet both of you."

"It's an honor to meet you too, sir." Charles said quietly.

Jacob punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Save the sir for when you get into trouble…just call him Dad."

Charles looked at his older brother then back at his father. "Dad."

Vincent stepped up and hugged Charles warmly. "Charles…" he turned to Devin and hugged him as well. "Devin…welcome…my sons…" he gasped.

Jacob grabbed his brothers by their arms. "Come on…enough mush…"

As they walked, Jacob laughed aloud at Devin's earlier joke. "Devin, if you had any idea how much you sound like the person you're named after, you would die. I can't wait for you to meet him!"

"Who is he?" Devin wondered.

"Our uncle…well…sort of…Grandfather raised him and Dad together…"

Joe prompted Debbie to walk with him to give Vincent and Catherine a second alone. "C'mon kiddo…I want to go find your mom. I sure missed her…"

"Ack! Tell me you're not going to be all googly eyed with her and get all smoochy!"

Joe grinned and put his arms around her shoulder. "No…I thought I'd spend some time with all you kids first. I missed all the fighting these past few days."

Finally alone, Vincent turned and looked at Catherine incredulously.

"Catherine?"

"Surprised?" she said softly.

"I…how…"

"Oh, Vincent…it's such a long story…"

"I…imagine it is but it's certainly one I'd like to hear."

"I know…" Catherine sighed as she nodded. "But could I ask you for something first?"

"You know you can ask me for anything, Catherine."

"Could I have a hug?" Catherine pleaded.

Vincent stepped forward. "Catherine…" he whispered as she melted into his arms and the two held each other tightly.

A few minutes later, Devin's voice carried back to them through the tunnels. "Mom! C'mon on!"

Ignoring Devin's pleas, Catherine sighed as he cradled her to his chest. "I missed this so much…"

"As did I…"

Catherine pulled back slowly then leaned up and kissed Vincent lightly on the lips. He blinked in surprise but didn't move back as she smiled up at him. "We should introduce the boys to Father and then… then I'll explain everything. Joe's going to need to know it anyway and I imagine Jenny's about ready to bust a cork…"

Vincent nodded and put his arm around her as they walked towards the home tunnels.

Joe and Debbie walked into the library first.

Jenny whirled around and ran up to Joe. "Hi, honey."

"Hey, babe." He said as they hugged.

Debbie grabbed Jenny's arm as she pulled her away. "Mom! You'll never guess what Dad said on the message you missed!"

Jenny looked up as Jacob, Charles and Devin entered the room. "Um…let me guess…Cathy's sixteen year olds look just like Vincent?" In a state of shock, she walked away from Debbie and stood in front of the twins. "Hi, I'm your Aunt Jenny…your Mom and I were friends for…"

"A million years!" Catherine interrupted as she walked into the room.

Both women broke out in tears as they ran into each others arms. They hugged fiercely and stood and cried together.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Catherine cried out.

"I can't believe you're alive! I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Jen….can I introduce you to my sons?" Catherine led them to her twins. "This is Charles…and this is Devin."

"Charles and Devin…it's great to meet you."

"Hello, Aunt Jenny," they said simultaneously.

Vincent touched each of them lovingly on the shoulder. "I'd like to introduce my sons to their grandfather…do you know where he is?" he asked Jenny.

"He's lying down."

"I'll get him, Dad," Jacob offered.

He disappeared into the back chamber that was Father's bedroom but quickly came back out. "He's already on his way!" he said as he came over and took Catherine's hand and dragged her to a place where she would be the first person Father saw.

"What's all the commotion?" a gruff voice said as it came closer. Father stopped when he came around the corner and saw Catherine standing there.

"Dear, dear Catherine."

"Father," she said as she came up and hugged him warmly.

"So the news we received about your being alive was true…" he said as she stepped back and he cupped her cheek lovingly. "It's so good to see you again,"

"It's good to see all of you again," Catherine took his hand and turned around. "Father, I'd like to introduce you to my sons."

"Hmmm?" Father said as he walked with her. "Dear God!" he exclaimed when he spotted the twins. In shock, he quickly sank into a nearby chair.

"Father?!" Vincent said with concern as he rushed over.

"I'm okay," Father said as he waved his hand dismissively.

Vincent took his hand then and smiled. "Then I should think that you would like to meet my sons…Charles and Devin."

Father smiled weakly at the two boys that came to stand in front of him. "You'll forgive an old man…I just…the shock of seeing you…I…you both look exactly like your father did at that age."

"Charles, Devin…this is your Grandfather."

"Hello, Grandfather," Charles said as he stepped forward tentatively and shook his hand.

"Which one are you?"

"Charles," he said with a smile.

"Hi, Gramps!" Devin said as he stepped forward next.

Father chuckled and shook his hand warmly. "You are obviously Devin! And I might say that you are already taking after the man you're named for!" Father gestured with his hand. "Please, sit down."

"Can we _all_ sit down?" Catherine asked.

Sensing that this was going to be a long talk, Jenny pushed Debbie towards the door. "Check your brother and sisters and put the word out that we aren't to be interrupted for any reason."

"Mom…"

"Now, Debbie!" Joe stated matter of factly.

Debbie frowned and headed out of the room to do as she was told.

Ever mindful of Catherine's need for privacy, Jenny looked at her. "This is family business…we should leave …"

Catherine smiled and shook her head. "You _are_ my family…both of you." She smiled over at Joe. "Besides, Joe you'll need to hear this story anyway."

"Jacob, perhaps you could take your brothers to get something to eat…"

"Really, Dad?! I'd like to hear this…"

Devin looked at his mother pleadingly. "Mom…we deserve to hear this too!"

Catherine shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "Yes, you all do…every last ugly truth…but I warn you it isn't a pretty story…"

Father sat at the head of the table with a twin on either side of him. Jacob sat next to Charles while Vincent sat next to Devin. Catherine sat next to Vincent leaving Jenny and Joe at the end of the table.

All eyes turned to Catherine who looked quietly down at her hands. "I'm not sure where to start…"

Vincent reached out and took her hand. "I'd like you to start at the moment you found out you were pregnant with Jacob."

Catherine squeezed his hand and began. "After Joe was hurt in that car bombing, I wanted to help so I donated blood. The nurse came with me with the announcement that I shouldn't have donated blood while I was pregnant. I…um…had no idea…I started to tell you…but…"

"I was still weak from being sick…" he said quietly.

"Yes…I _still_ needed to tell you…I even tried but…"

"He had amnesia…" Father supplied.

"Yes…I thought I'd have plenty of time to tell him so I put it off."

Joe grimaced. "Then Moreno pulled his betrayal and you were captured by Gabriel."

"Yes," Catherine nodded realizing they knew she had been kidnapped. "I was supposed to be killed then Gabriel found out about Vincent. He informed his boss…"

"Ares." Joe supplied.

"Yes."

"Ares? The guy was named for the God of War?" Jacob asked incredulously.

Catherine smiled lovingly at him. "You know your Greek mythology…it was always one of my favorites too."

"I know, Dad told me."

She thought about Vincent sitting and telling their young son things about her to make her seem real and looked gratefully at Vincent. "I'm glad. Anyway, Ares saw the videos Gabriel had taken of Vincent and he became obsessed with him. When it was discovered I was pregnant, it was Ares who insisted that I be kept alive."

"He wanted my child." Vincent stated flatly.

"Yes, by then Gabriel had also become obsessed with you. They…stopped pumping me full of truth serum and started pumping me full of vitamins. They left me alone in a small room. The only human contact I had was at meal time when the nurse would come in with my tray and three times a week when the doctor would check on me."

Father scowled. "That's it?! No one spoke to you at all?"

"No. Gabriel was constantly watching us but…sometimes the doctor would explain what he was doing…he told Gabriel it was important for me to know what was happening so that I could take care of myself and the baby."

Jenny looked at her with tears in her eyes. "It must have been horrible for you. I can't imagine going through that alone."

Catherine sighed. "It wasn't that bad. I spent my days talking to the baby…I mean Jacob…singing to him…relating stories to him about all of you…about my family, my childhood…anything I could think of."

"Still," Joe said as he shook his head in disgust. "Jenny and I were together every step of the way for all six of our kids…I wouldn't want her to do it alone."

Catherine shrugged indifferently. "I had no choice if I wanted my child to live."

Vincent couldn't stand the thoughts that raced through his head and Jacob sensed his distress through the bond and tried to forward the story. "Mom…tell us about my birth."

Catherine took a deep breath. "Well, my labor started and I tried to hide it as long as I could. The pain was eventually too much and they came in and whisked me to the delivery room. I think at that point your father was inside the building and searching for us…"

Vincent interrupted her to explain his actions. "I'm not sure how…but I could feel Jacob's heartbeat. I didn't know what it was but I followed it and it brought me to you."

Catherine squeezed his hand. "You were getting closer to us when they became desperate. They were going to do a c-section but I delivered Jacob just in time." She turned to look at Jacob. "The doctor let me see you for the briefest of seconds…you were perfect…the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen…and then…they took you away…"

"He was only the most beautiful baby until she saw us," Devin whispered loudly to Charles as he tried to lighten the somber mood.

It had the desired effect as Jacob laughed lightly. "Yeah, but I was the _first_!"

Catherine grinned then rolled her eyes and shook her head ruefully. " _All_ of our babies were equally beautiful!"

Vincent smiled at the light banter and leaned in conspiratorially. "Good cover, Catherine."

Trying to get the story back on track, Joe asked, "What happened then, Cath?"

Catherine sighed as tears came to her eyes. "The doctor followed his orders and injected me with…"

"Morphine," Joe interrupted. "Well…that's what the autopsy said."

Jenny elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Which was obviously wrong, now shush!"

Vincent ignored them and took Catherine's hands and held them in his own. "But you came to me…you died in my arms. I was there, holding you when you took your last breath."

"I know that's what you thought. I thought that too…" Catherine nodded as she remembered him holding her.

Joe shook his head with confusion. "Then how…"

"The nurse that had been taking care of me didn't work for Gabriel…she was loyal to Ares. In the commotion of Jacob's birth, she made up a fake syringe and gave it to the doctor. She gave me some drug that induces a coma."

"Probably something like Propofol," Father nodded vigorously. "That explains why you thought she was dead, Vincent. Her vitals signs would have been almost undetectable."

Joe shook his head. "That makes no sense! Vincent brought her back to her apartment then sat with her what three…four hours…then she was there at least another hour while the police secured the scene."

Catherine thought how hard it must have been for Vincent to sit with her that long knowing she was dead and she squeezed his hand. "Ares owned the ambulance you sent me to the morgue in…they took me straight to his compound. His team brought me back to life and countered the effects of the drugs I'd been given."

"We never questioned when they suggested a closed casket…Oh My God! Who did we bury?" Jenny asked appallingly.

Catherine shrugged "I have no idea, Ares must have found someone my size and age with a similar look."

"Not that I'm complaining but _why_ did he keep you alive, my dear?" Father wondered.

"Ares was just as ruthless as Gabriel if not more so…but he was also brilliant…he wanted me alive so I could nurse Jacob…provide him with his mother's milk."

"But Gabriel didn't believe in the importance of a mother's touch." Vincent added.

Catherine nodded. "Ares was furious when Jacob grew sick. He wanted to use me but he couldn't…Gabriel had pumped me so full of toxins he was afraid my milk would do more harm then good. He realized Jacob would die if he didn't have his parents contact…"

"So he let me find Gabriel…to save Jacob and heal him…" Vincent guessed correctly.

"Yes…except the more that Ares saw of you the more he respected you. He saw you as an intelligent being, someone who could love and protect those close to him. He gave up on Jacob, he thought he was too sick to be saved so he allowed you to take him because he didn't think he'd live anyway. Besides, by then he had already started to think of the future."

"The future?" Vincent wondered aloud.

Jacob cringed with anticipation as he looked at his mother. "I have a feeling this is the part we're not going to like, Dad…"

Catherine smiled weakly as she looked at Vincent. "Do you remember when Gabriel had the doctor take all those blood samples…"

"Yes, he said it was to help Jacob."

"It was more than that…there were several times that the doctor sedated you…it was then that he took…um…more than just blood samples..."

Jacob hissed in his breath while Vincent sat quietly as the shock settled throughout his body.

Jenny looked confused. "I don't get it…what did he take from Vincent?"

"Six kids and you still have to ask what the man provides?" Joe asked her sarcastically under his breath.

Realization dawned on her and Jenny looked horrified. "He hoped to have more of Vincent's babies?!"

Catherine nodded. "Yes…I was nursed back to health and then they…um…harvested my eggs. They worked their magic and a year later I was impregnated again with the embryos."

"Catherine…" Vincent looked at her with tear filled eyes. "I'm sorry."

Catherine smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm not."

Jenny leaned forward. "So you had another child?"

"No…something went wrong…I don't know what…they never said…I miscarried in the seventh month."

Jenny winced in sympathy. "Oh, no…"

Joe frowned in confusion. "Seven months…that's late for a miscarriage…isn't it?"

"That's because at that late of a stage it isn't considered a miscarriage…" Father grimaced sadly.

Catherine had hoped to hide the trauma from Vincent but she knew she wasn't fooling Father or Jenny. "No…I had to give birth…it was a little girl…she was stillborn."

"Ares must've been furious," Jacob said quietly.

"Disappointed is more like it…he wanted to use her for testing…to find out what went wrong…but he lost interest because she looked like me, so, I took her out back and dug a hole and buried her under a tree in a quiet meadow overlooking the ocean. I named her Caroline"

Jenny began to cry. "Oh, Cathy…I can't imagine your grief."

Tears fell freely as Catherine nodded. "I didn't think I'd survive…the grief was overwhelming…I either shut down emotionally or it was just a little easier the next time."

"The next time?! Dear God, you went through this again?" Father gasped.

Catherine nodded sadly. "Yes…there were several more failed pregnancy attempts but two years later, I was pregnant again. Another little girl…the ultrasounds revealed she looked just like Vincent. Ares was beside himself with joy but she was born six weeks early. She was so small…and she fought so hard…" Tears continued to fall from her eyes as she looked at Vincent. "I tried everything I could…the doctors and I observed her twenty four hours a day…but she died after two weeks."

Vincent's shoulders sagged with grief as Joe swallowed hard. "You buried another daughter…"

Catherine shook her head as she looked away sadly . "No…um…Ares wanted her tested…the scientists…"

"Never mind, Cath," Joe grumbled as he and Jenny held hands.

"I gave up all will to live at that point. They had told me that Vincent and Jacob were both dead and I hoped I would follow them soon." Catherine cried harder and it took several minutes but she finally pulled it together after Jenny shoved some tissues in her hands. "I thought that was it for me…I would be killed after the doctors hinted that I was getting too old. Ares brought in three younger women but none of them ever became pregnant. It was suggested that Vincent's unique chemistry wasn't compatible with anyone else. Ares had other ideas and had the doctors use some of _my_ eggs instead and he had the embryos implanted in the women. The first woman miscarried immediately, the second in the fourth month and the third woman's baby died at birth, it was a little boy. Ares had all of the women and the babies disposed of."

"I hope this story starts getting better soon Mom," Devin moaned.

Weak smiles were sent his way and Vincent smiled at his son as he grabbed his shoulder and hugged him briefly. It helped to break the tension in the chamber so Catherine could continue.

"It does…by this time, Ares hopes at a small army were quickly fading. I failed to get pregnant several more times and the doctor's suggested fertility drugs. I was on them for about three months when I became pregnant. In the third month, it was discovered I was having twins. From that day forward, every precaution and consideration was taken daily for the duration of my pregnancy. Then I gave birth to Charles and Devin. "

"That's what Mom called us…Ares called us Romulus and Remus," Charles stated quietly.

"The feral children of Mars…the god of War." Jacob's tone mimicked his brother's.

"Ares wasn't taking any chances with the boys. I was with them constantly for the first two years of their lives. I was able to nurse them and take care of them. It was under constant supervision but I managed to tell them how much I loved them and how much their father would have loved them if he had lived. After their fourth birthday, Ares started their training. He would take them all day and school them in forms of combat then at night I told them bedtime stories about this world. I was afraid that at any given moment Ares would get rid of me and as they got older, I had to encourage them to keep our talks a secret."

Charles smiled. "We always thought of it as a game. Ares would try to find out what my Mom said to us and Devin and I would make up elaborate stories about things she never said. Devin even told him Mom said we should listen to him and be the best little soldiers we could be."

Devin laughed aloud at the memory. "He was shocked and started to trust Mom more. We had figured out pretty quickly what our roles were and we did and said everything he asked of us."

Charles nodded. "He was pretty proud of us…we were like human sponges. Everything he taught us we retained. He didn't realize we were learning everything so we could get away from him."

Devin looked down sadly. "It became more and more apparent to us we needed to do it after Mom got pregnant again."

Jenny hissed in a breath as Catherine looked down sadly and nodded. "The boys were healthy seven year olds and Ares wanted to chance it again. The doctors said it couldn't be done. The twins had done a number on my body…they each weighed over eight pounds at birth and with the afterbirth…"

"My God! Catherine that's a lot of baby for someone your size!" Jenny gasped.

"Yeah, that's what I kept reminding myself as I pushed them out," she chuckled then grew serious again. "So…once again he brought in women and impregnated them with my embryos. None of them took and the doctors assured Ares that the viability if the eggs had long since run out. He ignored them and had me start on fertility drugs again. I got pregnant the third month."

Charles frowned at the memory. "We didn't know it but Ares kept us away from her in fear that we would get her sick."

"She was huge by the time we saw her again!" Devin added.

"I was carrying twins again, one girl and one boy. I miscarried again in the seventh month and all my female organs came out with the last one. Ares was there and once again was furious…I thought that he would let me die right then and there but thankfully, Charles came down with a fever that morning and he ordered the doctors to stitch me up. When it was over, both boys were sick and Ares brought them to my bed to recover. Three weeks later, he took them away again."

Devin sighed. "We were allowed to see her on Sundays until our fifteenth birthday…then our training became more intense and he refused our requests to see her."

Charles looked nervously at the group and hoped he didn't sound crazy. "This is going to sound bizarre but we have this type of…connection with her…we're able to feel what she feels…"

Father leaned forward in his chair and patted his grandson's hand. "We call it a bond and it's not so bizarre. You're father used to have one with your mother until he became very sick and lost it but he has one with your brother and has had it since he was a baby."

Devin nodded with understanding. "It helped us stay connected with her."

Catherine nodded. "I could sense them and what they were feeling. Ares left me alone and I lived for the day when the boys would be old enough for us to try to get away. Then Kate and Joe showed up and here we are…"

Silence filled the room as everyone let the tragic story sink in.

Finally, Jenny squeezed Joe's hand. "Look this has been a long couple of days for you and it's late. Joe and I are going to gather up our crew and get them home."

Joe nodded as they stood. "We'll check back in tomorrow unless you need us sooner."

Catherine stood and she and Jenny hugged tightly. "We'll talk soon, Cathy, I love you."

"I love you too, Jen."

Catherine and Joe hugged warmly. "Did I thank you, Joe?"

Joe smiled the boyish smile Catherine remembered from so many years ago. "You just did, kiddo!"

"Thanks."

The couple left and in the still silent room, Charles and Devin exchanged glances.

Devin nodded at his brother and looked at Catherine curiously. "Mom…we're hungry."

Catherine rolled her eyes as Jacob laughed and clasped their shoulders. "Me too, come on…I'll introduce you two to William! He may have some leftover stew."

The boys left and Father grumbled. "I guess I should make that walk and get some tea."

"Father, its late…would you like me to have a tray sent instead?" Vincent offered.

"That would be nice, son."

Vincent turned to Catherine. "I'll only be a minute…"

"I'll go with you, I'd like to spend some time with the boys and I would kill for some of William's stew."

Father smiled as the two left holding hands.

As promised, Vincent sent a tray to Father and he and Catherine joined their sons for their first meal together. They laughed and told stories and learned about one another for the next three hours.

Devin finally leaned back and yawned loudly. "I could sleep for three days."

Charles wrinkled his nose. "Hopefully after a bath!"

Jacob laughed. "Come on, you guys can crash in my chamber, we'll go grab another bed from storage and then I'll show you where to take a bath."

They all stood at the same time and the boys each hugged their parents then left.

Catherine turned to Vincent and sighed. "A bath sounds wonderful."

"I'll…get you something to change into."

Vincent led the way to the bathing chamber then handed Catherine a gown and some clothes to change into.

"Vincent, if it would be okay, I'd like to come see you after my bath?"

Vincent looked down shyly. "Of course, Catherine, I'll be waiting for you there."

After his quick bath, Vincent got dressed in a pair of gray sweat pants and a white thermal shirt. He stood in front of his open bureau and decided against adding his usual additional layers. Apprehensive about the upcoming meeting with Catherine, he paced in his chamber as his thoughts raced uncontrollably.

Dressed in a warm, floor length night gown, Catherine stood nervously in the doorway of Vincent's chamber and watched him pace.

His head was down and he was lost in thought but sensing a presence, he looked up and slammed to a stop. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly when he looked into her eyes. In there depths, he saw the same love that had been there over twenty years ago.

"You still pace when you're nervous?"

Vincent cocked his head to the side. "And you still look like an angel standing there…" Slowly he opened his arms to her. "Catherine…" he whispered uncertainly.

Catherine felt her insides quake when she heard his voice and tears fell from her eyes as she walked into his arms. "Vincent!"

Their arms came around one another and Catherine felt like she was back at home nestled safely beneath his chin. The two clung to one another as their hearts reconnected after so much time apart.

Catherine backed up first and looked up into his eyes. "I never stopped loving you…"

"Nor I you."

Vincent had tears come to his eyes and Catherine gently dabbed at one as it slid down his cheek. "Don't cry, Vincent, I'm barely holding it together here…and…"

Tears flowed freely from her eyes as Vincent reached up gently and cupped her cheek in his hand. "Catherine…" he said as he bent over and kissed her lovingly.

She was so shocked, she clung to him as she responded to the gentle pressure from his lips. She felt his love flow through her entire being, and her legs became so weak they gave out.

Vincent scooped her up in his arms and stepped back to sit on his bed with her nestled in his lap. Suddenly overcome with shyness and uncertainty he looked down at their clasped hands. "I'm…sorry…I shouldn't…"

Catherine mimicked his earlier gesture and cupped his cheek and prodded him to look at her. "Don't ever apologize for loving me, Vincent."

She leaned in and kissed him and let him deepen the kiss. She knew, as she did so many years before, that she would let him decide how far to take it.

Someone cleared their throat and Catherine and Vincent looked up to see their three sons standing in the doorway. Catherine slid from his lap to sit next to him on the bed.

"Ewww…" Devin laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt," Jacob grinned boyishly.

While Charles blushed and looked away, Devin squeezed down between his two parents making them scoot apart. "We thought you could tell us a bedtime story."

Jacob gaped at Devin's nerve. "Oh, geez, I'm gonna love having you around!"

Devin looked at Vincent and Catherine with eyes filled with pure innocence. "I have no idea what he's talking about; I just wanted to see my Mommy and Daddy before I went to bed."

Vincent blew out a long breath and smiled. "You're always welcome here, Devin."

"See!" Devin said accusingly to Charles and Jacob. "We weren't interrupting anything, were we Dad?"

"Um…no…we were just talking."

Vincent looked at them sheepishly while Jacob laughed aloud. "Come on, Dev, leave them be."

Devin leapt to his feet and pretended a look of disgust. "Fine…you two sit and here and… _talk_ …and your boys will put themselves to sleep."

Catherine rolled her eyes and smiled. "Goodnight, boys, we love you."

Jacob and Devin laughed as they left the room while Charles looked on sheepishly. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay, Mom."

"For the first time in over twenty years I am."

"Okay." Charles nodded. "Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, son."

He left, and Catherine turned to Vincent. "I'm exhausted, too."

Vincent looked away and nodded, he still could not bring himself to ask her to stay with him. "It's late…if you want I…can show you to a guest chamber…"

Catherine chewed her bottom lip nervously but decided to make the first

move. "I'd like to stay here with you…if…that's all right…" She looked away as she realized her boldness was perhaps too soon. "But if you'd rather…I can…

Vincent sighed as relief flooded through him and he took her hand to stop her fumbling. "No…I…it's more than all right…I should have asked…"

Vincent stood and started to blow out the candles. Catherine helped him blow out a few before she pulled back the covers on the bed and climbed in moving over near the stained glass window still mounted in the wall. He slipped in next to her and lay flat on his back staring at the ceiling.

"This feels like a dream," she whispered.

Vincent moved and propped himself on his elbow facing her. "It's real, Catherine."

"Will you pinch me so I know it's true?"

He rubbed her arm softly. "I could never hurt you…you've endured so much pain already…."

"Not pain, Vincent…heartache, yes but not pain. I never suffered physically."

He reached out and gently laid his palm on her lower belly. "You bore many children, labored through too many unsuccessful pregnancies, alone."

Catherine rolled to her back and put her hand over his then scooted closer to him. "And the most painful part of all of it was losing your children."

"He used you like a brood mare," Vincent stated disgustedly,

"Yes," Catherine acknowledged sadly. "But I was more than willing to try to have your children. I was so excited each time I discovered I was pregnant and I prayed every day that the baby would be born healthy, I wish they had all lived."

"You gave me three sons, Catherine. I could never have even dreamed it was possible, and yet you gave me the greatest gift a woman could ever give man."

"It would have been nice to have a little girl. Caroline never took a breath but little Jennifer, the baby who looked like you…she was such a fighter…"

Tears fell again and Vincent put his arm around her and pulled her close as they grieved 18 years later over the death of their daughter.

Catherine's head rested over his heart and her eyes slowly closed as she struggled to stay awake.

Vincent smiled as her weariness transmitted to him over their newly restored bond. "You're exhausted."

"Yes, I am."

He pulled her closer and held her tightly. "Sleep now, you're safe."

Catherine smiled and snuggled against him then fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. She rolled over and turned onto her side. Vincent moved to spoon against her back and she sighed contentedly as her body responded to his closeness and scooted closer against him. Vincent's hand rested on her belly and he soon followed her into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Vincent woke slowly and stared in wonder at Catherine sleeping in his arms. He nuzzled her neck and smiled when she sighed aloud.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Catherine. Did I wake you?" Vincent wondered.

"No…" She snuggled back against him and sighed. "Hold me tighter…"

Vincent scooted up closer to her and put his arms around her. He thought she had fallen back to sleep when his body responded to hers and he felt himself harden. Catherine surprised him when her backside rubbed against his length and he sucked in a breath at the unfamiliar sensation. He started to back up when she reached back and grabbed his hip, stopping him from moving away.

"Don't move away…" she purred contentedly.

"Mom?!" Devin's voice sounded from the doorway "Mom? Are you awake?"

Vincent backed away from her and tried to get his body under control while Catherine pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"I am now…" she said tiredly.

"Sorry…we're heading to breakfast…wanna come?"

Catherine sighed and fell back to her pillow. "We just ate!"

Charles stepped next to his brother. "That was over ten hours ago."

"What time is it?" Catherine gasped.

"I don't know…there are clocks anywhere down here…Jacob said it's around 11:00."

Vincent had controlled his lower body by then and got to his feet. "I'll show you boys later how to tell time with candles."

He sat in a chair and slipped socks on his feet while Jacob popped his head into the room. "Are they awake?" he whispered. Seeing everyone was in fact awake, he walked in carrying a huge tray of food. "Lunch is in an hour and William said we already got an extra meal out of him last night. He did let me scarf a snack though."

After he set the tray down on Vincent's table, the boys piled on the chairs surrounding it and began to dig into the treats on the trays. Muffins, scones and croissants were quickly slathered with butter and popped into hungry mouths.

Vincent sat down and leaned in to grab the coffee and pour a cup. He turned and handed it to Catherine as she came up behind him.

"Where's mom gonna sit?" Charles mumbled through a mouth stuffed full with a banana muffin.

Devin and Jacob flushed with embarrassment while Catherine smiled and sipped her coffee. "I'm okay, you boys eat."

"Mofshiftontflap,"

Devin said something unintelligible and Vincent stared at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said."

Charles rolled his eyes as he swallowed. "That's because his mouth is stuffed so full he can't chew."

Jacob laughed aloud as he looked at Vincent. "He said Mom could sit on your lap."

Vincent leaned back and Catherine sat on his knee with her coffee cup cradled between her hands. He held his arm around her for support and she smiled at him then looked back at the nearly empty tray. "If you'd like I'll risk personal injury and reach in and grab a muffin for you."

The boys had the grace to blush and swallow their food.

Charles handed her a blueberry muffin and a croissant. "Here, Mom."

"Thank you, Charles. May I have the butter please?"

Devin immediately passed her the bowl with butter in it while Jacob grabbed a plate and knife. Jacob grabbed some fruit as well and passed it to Vincent.

Catherine buttered the muffin then put it in front of Vincent while she tore off small bites from her croissant.

"You guys gonna want more?" Devin wondered at his parents.

"Devin!" Charles hissed.

"What?!"

Jacob smiled. "Don't forget, it's almost lunchtime and William made barbecue chicken."

"Okay…I can wait," Devin sighed.

"Boys…eat up…your mother and I can wait until lunch," Vincent offered.

Devin's eyes lit up as he grabbed for another muffin. Charles looked at Jacob for approval and at Jacob's shrug they both grabbed for the remaining muffins.

Catherine giggled as she looked at Vincent and popped another piece of bread in her mouth. "They're all yours."

He looked at his sons then back at her and smiled wondrously. "They are aren't they?"

She leaned her forehead against his then kissed his cheek. The boys shot up from their seats and started to clean up the remains of their 'snack.'

"Hey, Dad?" Devin turned to Vincent. "Jacob said you guys had some work that needed to be done around here for some party…was it Winterfest…"

"Yes, unfortunately there's always something that needs to be done."

Charles nodded. "Maybe you can show us where we can help and we could work…you know…take on some chores."

Vincent smiled. "That would be great and welcome but we also need to assess your education level so we can continue your schooling."

The boys shot looks at Catherine who rushed to explain. "The boys finished college level courses in math and science years ago and they both loved to read so they're probably close to college levels in English and history."

"What about the arts?"

"If you mean drawing and stuff Devin and I have been making architectural plans for years." Charles supplied.

Vincent smiled. "No, I mean art and music appreciation, the reading of classic poetry, Shakespeare's tragedies, Picasso, Rembrandt, music like Bach and Beethoven…"

Devin groaned and hid the face he made towards Charles. "Rembrandt is toothpaste and Beethoven is a Disney movie…"

Catherine giggled. "That's close honey, but perhaps some class time with your father will help you get an alternate explanation."

Jacob laughed. "Don't worry, Dad makes class interesting, its Grandpa you have to watch out for…"

The twins followed Jacob out the door and through the tunnels.

Catherine looked at Vincent. "Your knee has to be killing you by now."

She went to get up and he pulled her back with a gentle tug. "No, I like having you this close."

She turned in her seat and put her arms around his neck. "And I like being this close to you. It felt like heaven lying in your arms last night."

"For me too."

"Do you think if we spent the day in here anyone would notice?"

Vincent looked down shyly. "I know there is a whole community waiting to greet you and Jenny's kids have been going crazy since Joe mentioned you were alive."

Catherine sighed. "Duty calls."

"Yes."

"I'll get dressed then if you promise me one thing…"

"What is it, Catherine?"

She took his hands in hers and lowered her head. "Will you promise me that we'll work towards being together…truly together?"

Vincent knew she was asking him if he would try to make love to her. She didn't know that years ago he had blamed himself and that he vowed if he could relive it all over again, he would try to move their relationship forward. He gently lifted her face to look into her eyes. "Catherine, I love you, and I promise you, one day soon…we _will_ be together as you wish."

He kissed her and Catherine melted into his arms. "I love you, Vincent."

The entire day was filled with friends and families as the tunnel community celebrated Catherine's return and the welcoming of Charles and Devin into the community.

Catherine gushed over each of Jenny and Joe's girls and laughed at young Joey's antics while Jenny watched humorously as her eldest daughters become tongue tied around Charles and Devin.

Catherine got chilled and Vincent got up to get her a sweater. He was on his way to the laundry chamber when he spotted Joe.

"Joe!"

"Hey, Vincent."

"What's up with you? Everything okay? You look…worried?"

"I was…just…um…"

Joe laughed. "Reliving last night?!"

"What?"

"Cathy's first night back…must've been a hell of a homecoming!" Joe grinned wickedly.

Vincent gasped. "No!"

Joe frowned as he tilted his head to the side. "Things okay between you and Radcliffe?"

"Yes…that's not it…"

"Look, Vincent, we've been through a lot over the years…I consider you one of my best friends so...just spill it, will ya."

Vincent shook his head. "Not here…"

Joe followed him to an empty classroom chamber and frowned as he saw Vincent struggle to start the conversation.

Joe shrugged. "You two having a hard time…reconnecting?" At Vincent's silence, he continued. "Look, Cathy just got back and everyone was tired…I wouldn't expect too much the first night."

Vincent sighed aloud. "That's not the problem, Joe."

"No?!"

"There was no…re-connecting…in fact…I…don't remember…connecting with her the first time!"

"What?!" Joe realized Vincent was serious and immediately looked contrite; he leaned against a nearby desk. "Sorry…you gotta admit it's kind of an odd statement for a father of three…"

"I wasn't exactly present for the last two."

"Part of you was," Joe laughed. Seeing Vincent didn't find the humor in it, Joe apologized. "Sorry…but…I mean…I understand about Charles and Devin but what about Jacob?"

"I was sick when Jacob was conceived…I…don't remember any of it."

"Okay…" Joe shrugged with confusion until a thought popped into his head and he gasped as he realized what Vincent was trying not to say. "Are you trying to tell me that you two only did it once in your relationship?"

Vincent blushed and looked away/ "I've only done it once in my life!"

Joe blew out a long breath. "And you don't remember it…man that sucks!"

"You see my dilemma…"

"Wait, Cathy still spent the night in your chamber last night what'd you do?"

Vincent shrugged. "Nothing…she was exhausted…"

Joe laughed. "So tonight's the night?!" Seeing Vincent looked physically sick he relented. "Look…um…why don't you let Cathy take the lead?"

"Is that what you do with Jenny?"

Joe laughed aloud. "We've got six kids that she runs around all day long. Then she works at a real job at least four hours a day…if I don't initiate it I'll be taking cold showers every night."

"Every night?" Vincent gasped.

Joe laughed and shrugged. "Well…in the beginning yeah, eighteen years and six kids later…it's mostly on weekends…look…I'm telling you…let Cathy lead the way…she'll guide you through it and nature will take it's course."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Vincent grumbled.

Joe grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "It's always awkward in the beginning…move this way…don't move that way…the first time it'll be quick…if you know what I mean….but…uh…you should…um…recover in a little while then pretty soon you'll know what she likes and it will just happen automatically…"

Vincent nodded. "Thanks, Joe…I know this was uncomfortable to talk about but…"

Joe laughed. "It's all right…I know you missed out on the locker room talks from high school…"

"We should get back…"

Vincent popped into the laundry room and grabbed a sweater and the two friends headed back.

"There they are!" exclaimed Jenny to Catherine as they walked into the room. "Where've you two been?"

Joe walked up and massaged her shoulders. "Vincent was giving me some bedroom tips on how to blow your mind!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "You're a pig, Joe Maxwell."

Joe bent over and suckled on her neck. "Yeah, but you love it!"

Jenny giggled as she flinched. "Stop, you're tickling me!" she said as she playfully hit at him.

Catherine snuck a peek at Vincent who hung his head with embarrassment then back at her good friends. She hoped that in a short time she and Vincent would be that at ease with one another.

Vincent sat down next to her and the two couples visited until a short time later, Brittany came in with a crying Joey. "Mom!"

"What happened?" Jenny asked as she got up.

"Maria hit me!" Joe cried out.

"Why did Maria hit you Joey?"

"Cause she's a stupid girl!"

Brittany rolled her eyes and shook his arm. "You better her tell the truth, Joey!"

Joey looked at his mom with tears in his eyes. "I threw a rock and accidentally hit Amy in the head."

"Joseph!" Joe said angrily.

"Save it, Dad!" Brittany said as she held up her hand. "Debbie and Kelly took Amy to the hospital chamber. She was bleeding pretty badly and Devin said she'd need stitches."

Joe sighed and looked at Jenny. "I'll go."

He left with Brittany as Jenny sat down with Joey.

"Joey, what am I going to do with you?"

Vincent leaned forward and looked at Joey. "Joey, what made you so angry that you felt the need to strike out at your sister?"

"She was mean to me…she said I was bothering her."

"What were you doing that she would find bothersome?"

"I don't know…Devin taught me out to make farts with my arm pits and I was practicing…wanna hear?"

Vincent looked away to hide his smile while Catherine lowered her head to hide hers.

Jenny was not as amused. "No, we do not want to hear!"

Vincent composed himself and looked back. "I remember how good I felt when my brother taught me how to make that noise but for some odd reason girls don't find it quite as funny as boys do."

"Girls are dumb." Joey said as he stuck his lower lip out.

Jenny sighed. "You only feel that way because you have five older sisters. In about eight more years, you won't think girls are so dumb. Now…you know you have to apologize."

"I know…Mommy, she was bleeding all over what if she dies and I don't get to."

He started to cry and Jenny pulled him on her lap. "You're sister is not going to die. She may need a few stitches but she'll live…which is more that I can say for you when your father gets back."

"I'm gonna be punished?"

"What do you think?" Jenny asked.

"Yes…can I go see Amy?"

Jenny sighed again and stood up. "Yes, we should all go see her."

Vincent stood and held out his hand to Catherine. "I'd like to see if we can help. Eric is Above and I'm probably the closest thing to a doctor."

Catherine followed him and took his hand as they walked behind Jenny. "I'll bet Charles has it all taken care of by now." At Vincent's questioning glance, Catherine continued. "Ares made sure the boys were trained in emergency medical procedures…Charles has given Devin a few hundred stitches over the years."

They walked in to the hospital chamber to see Maria sitting with Debbie and Kelly. Brittany walked over and sat with them while Joey walked up to Joe.

"Mommy said I'm gonna be punished."

"You betcha!"

Joey's lip stuck out and he walked over to his sisters and waited for their acceptance. Debbie held out her hands and he walked into her arms. She scooped him onto her lap and he put his head back against her chest.

Jenny paced in front of the closed curtain. "Why aren't you in there with her? She must be scared…who's with her….who's stitching her up…Joe?"

"Charles is." Joe said as he reached for her.

Jenny looked at Catherine worriedly. "Does he know how?"

Devin peeked around the corner of the curtain. "He's good Aunt Jenny…don't worry."

Devin disappeared and Jenny relaxed when she heard Amy giggling. She put her head against Joe's shoulder and sighed. "We're getting too old for this…"

More giggles could be heard then a loud "ouch" followed by more giggles.

Ten minutes later, Devin came out with Amy. "Good as new."

Jenny gasped at the blood covering her daughter's clothes. "Oh, Amy…" She hugged her tightly to her chest.

"Mom! I can't breathe!"

Jenny relaxed and Joe bent over and moved the blood caked bangs from the front of Amy's face. "You okay, kiddo"

"Yeah, Dad." She looked around him to her sister. "Hey Brittany! I got ten stitches!"

"Really, Amy…that's way cool!" Brittany smiled then her face fell as she saw Jenny's scowl.

Maria rolled her eyes as she tried to out do her sister. "Stitches are nothing…Me and Brittany each had a broken arm!"

"So! Me and Brittany are the only Maxwell's who've had stitches!" Amy countered.

Jenny grumbled. "Let's keep it that way!"

Charles came around the corner and Joe shook his hand. "Thank you, Charles."

"Anytime…I kept the stitches small so scarring should be minimal. But her hair will hide them anyway…"

Jenny kissed his cheek then turned to Catherine and Vincent. "We'll probably head home…it was good to catch up with you… we can do it again at Winterfest."

"Of course," Catherine smiled.

Joey had fallen asleep on Debbie, and Joe walked over and stood him up.

Exhausted, Joey stumbled until Joe steadied him by grabbing the back of his shirt. "Hard to believe someone so small can cause so much trouble…" he laughed.

The girls got up and the family walked home together.

Devin turned to Charles. "You hungry now?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Catherine laughed. "I'm going to have to try to get Uncle Joe to give me my old job back. There's no way this community can keep feeding you two."

Jacob walked in and put his arm around her. "Just take your money back, Mom. I don't need it."

"My money? What are you talking about, Jacob?"

He looked at Vincent curiously then back down at Catherine. "When you died…well…when we thought you died…Uncle Peter and Uncle Joe made sure that I was declared your heir. I inherited everything you had."

"I…didn't know…Catherine gasped.

Jacob nervously backed up a step. "I…spend hardly any of it…it's almost all there plus interest, Dad and I…"

Catherine looked over at him and waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Oh, Jacob, I don't care if you spent any money, it was yours to spend but… what about my apartment?"

"Your apartment?" Jacob wondered.

Catherine smiled and shook her head. "Never mind…it's silly…I know…"

"What, Mom?" Jacob asked again.

"Did you sell it to Peter? I mean…I'm sure you did…what could you have possibly wanted with…"

Jacob looked at Vincent uncertainly as Vincent rushed to explain. "Catherine, we didn't sell it…Peter stays in it when he's in New York."

She sighed with relief. "He does?!"

"Yes, when he isn't at his daughter's in Minnesota."

Jacob looked at his brothers then back at Catherine. "Did you…I mean…are you planning on moving Above?"

Catherine gasped as she looked from the faces of Vincent and Jacob then the twins and realized what they were all thinking. "Noooo… I…just thought that I'd try to see it again."

Jacob shrugged. "Peter just left last week; he'll be at Susan's at least a month. Aunt Jenny has the keys."

Catherine smiled. "Well, maybe I'll see it one day. Let's get something to eat and then you boys can help your father and Jacob get things ready for Winterfest.

The boys wolfed down their lunch and headed with Jacob to the Great Hall as Vincent and Catherine lingered over their tea.

"For the first time that I can remember, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow." Vincent admitted.

"Why on earth not?" Catherine wondered.

"I'll have to share you with others…"

"There's no place I'd rather be than by your side, Vincent. I promise I won't let anyone pull me away from you."

Mary walked in the room and gushed happily. "There you two are! Catherine, Rebecca and Olivia insisted I come get you and include you in decorating the centerpieces, and Vincent, if you would be a dear and carry down the box of candles that Jacob will need to put in the chandeliers…"

Vincent closed his eyes against the intrusion and when he opened them he saw Catherine chuckling.

"Sure Mary, I'd love to come help and Vincent was just getting up to help his sons; so he'd be happy to carry down the candles for you."

Mary clapped her hands together happily. "Okay, we're in the candle chamber."

She left as Vincent shoulders shrugged with amusement. "I'm sorry."

They both stood and Catherine leaned into him. She looked up expectantly, and Vincent hesitated for only a second before he lowered his mouth to hers. Catherine sighed as she deepened the kiss.

A clatter could be heard in the kitchen and they broke apart slowly.

"Walk me to Rebecca's…"

Vincent slid his arm around her shoulders as they walked through the tunnels.

In the world Above, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito had flown in to JFK Airport; and after six hours of intense questioning in the Homeland Security Offices with General Phillips and Senator Gillibrand, they headed over to the Maxwell house.

Joey looked up at them as he opened the door then turned around and continued to play his hand held game. "Daaaaadddd….those cop guys are here for you."

Debbie came in from the kitchen immediately to see their guests standing at the front door. "Geez, Joey! You could've invited them inside!" She opened the door and welcomed them. "Sorry…my brother has yet to learn what manners are!"

Kate smiled. "That's okay."

Esposito sat next to Joey and looked over his shoulder at the video game. "I can see why, you're pretty good at this…Hey, Ryan come watch this kid fight these zombies!"

Ryan walked and sat on the other side of Joey who was relishing their attention.

"Is your dad home?" Kate wondered.

"Yeah…he's in the shower. Make yourselves comfortable…can I get anyone a drink?"

"You got a beer?" Esposito asked.

Ryan nodded. "Me too, if you got them."

Neither man had looked up as they watched the small screen Joey was playing on.

Kate sighed. "I'll help you get them," she offered as she followed Debbie into the kitchen.

Debbie opened the fridge and set out three beers. "That was amazing luck that you found Catherine Chandler on that island!"

Kate laughed. "Yeah, we were shocked to say the least."

Kelly walked in an overheard the last comment. "Are you talking about how you found Aunt Cathy?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, Cathy and the twins. I wish I could have seen Vincent's reaction when he first saw them!"

Debbie smiled. "He was shocked…it was cool…Aunt Cathy helped him through it though."

"So did you get the scoop?" Kate wondered.

"No! My mom made me leave…I wanted to sit next to Devin, he is so cute!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about….Charles is way cuter!" Kelly argued.

Joe walked in the door of the kitchen. "Who's cuter?"

"Charles." "Devin." the girls answered simultaneously.

Joe shook his head in disgust. "They're identical! How can one be cuter?"

The girls each rolled their eyes then grabbed the beer bottles along with glasses to go and deliver them to Ryan and Esposito.

Joe handed Kate her beer then grabbed one for himself and led her back to the family room, where Esposito and Ryan were shouting encouragement to Joey who was almost to the next level of his game.

"Why don't you guys tell me what happened after I left…" Joe asked.

"I'd like to get down Below if I can, Sir." Kate asked.

"Anxious to see Castle?" Ryan teased.

Kate ignored them as Joe called out to Jenny. "Want to go Below, babe?"

Jenny smiled widely. "Sure!"

"Thanks, Joe." Kate smiled. "I'd like Castle to hear what he missed out on."

"They're not expecting you until tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah…we gave a record accounting to General Phillips and rushed back here to make Winterfest." Ryan said as he stood.

"Yeah, I'm just as anxious to have a good long day of fun!" Joe smiled widely as he led the way Below.

In the Great Hall, Vincent walked in to find that most of the things he normally was required to do, his sons had accomplished.

The heavy wooden tables were in place and already being set in preparation for the food trays. Benches and chairs were set out in various places around the room, and the chandeliers were ready to be lit.

"Hey Dad," Jacob called out as he carried in another bench with Rick's help. Charles and Devin followed them but with their exceptional strength, they each carried in their own bench.

"I see how you got this done so quickly."

Rick laughed. "Your boys are like bulls…I love my daughter Alexis but I'm jealous of the brute strength you put out in these boys of yours."

The boys smiled shyly while Vincent grinned. "They would make me proud if they could only carry feathers! Either way…it was good of you to help, Rick."

"It keeps my mind off of things…"

"Kate?"

"Yeah."

"She'll be coming home soon."

"Yeah, tomorrow. She texted me…they've been tying up a lot of loose ends."

"Then she'll get to enjoy Winterfest with you. I'm sure Kevin will be here this year and I hope he thinks to extend an invitation to Javier."

"Don't get me wrong, Vincent, I've enjoyed my time here, I just want to get back to my world."

"I'm sure that with Kate's return all will be well again."

"You guys gonna help or stand around and yap?" Devin asked.

Vincent put his arm around his son and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Sorry, son."

Devin grinned wickedly as he hugged Vincent fiercely. Rick could see the playfulness in Devin's eyes. "Get him, Devin!"

Devin started to wrestle with Vincent who balked with surprise but soon joined in the game. He quickly gained the upper hand as Jacob laughed heartily and jumped in to help his little brother. Vincent fought and was actually holding his own against his two sons when Charles jumped in as well. Vincent was quickly outnumbered.

"Time to school these youngsters of yours, I'm on my way, Vincent."

Rick said as he quickly joined in to aid Vincent.

Ten minutes later, Catherine and Kate stood on the steps and looked down at the five men wrestling on the floor. They were a tangled mess and it was hard to decipher whose legs belong to whom.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Kate joked. "One of those bodies in there belongs to me?"

Catherine sighed. "Four of them are mine…"

Kate whistled loudly and the wrestling stopped as all eyes turned to her.

"Kate?" Rick gasped aloud.

The boys slowly disentangled themselves then got up to face Catherine. 

"We were just…" Jacob started to explain.

"Bonding with Dad!" Devin finished.

Charles looked away with embarrassment at his twin's lame excuse.

Catherine rolled her eyes and nodded up the steps behind her. "Please see if you can be of any help to William or Cullen."

The boys took off and Catherine and Kate looked amusedly at Vincent and Rick.

Both men were panting heavily and their hair and clothing were a tousled mess.

Kate started to laugh. "Funny, the boys didn't look anywhere near as tired as you two!"

"We were outnumbered!" Rick complained.

Kate came and stood in front of him. "Yeah, well maybe you can tell me about it on our way…"

Rick straightened out his shirt and tucked it back in as he followed her sheepishly. "Okay…"

"Meet you in the library," Kate called over her shoulder.

Catherine raised her brows in surprise at Vincent. "Did you let your boys get the upper hand?"

Vincent cocked his head shyly. "I'd like to say yes but…sometimes youth rivals experience."

Vincent straightened his clothing then led Catherine to the library where they greeted Javier, Kevin and Joe. Kate and Rick were just settling down and they quickly took their seats as well.

"So…fill me in on what happened after I left." Joe asked.

Kate took the lead. "There were surprisingly only about twenty armed guards on the island itself. Obviously General Phillips secured both the outer and inner perimeters of the island quickly. We did a quick sweep of the house and it was literally just a living area."

"His entire organization was based in the bunker that he was killed in. They carried out his body and verified his identity by his dental records." Esposito added.

"Phillips was more interested in Ares office then he was in anything in the lower levels of the bunker." "Ryan reported.

"The levels we were kept in…" Charles supplied.

"Yeah…they didn't bother to go down that far…they got all the information from his main office." Esposito clarified.

Kate smiled. "Yeah…after Ryan told them that there were only doctor's offices down there."

"All of the records on the boys were kept down there!" Catherine said worriedly.

Ryan waved a data stick in the air. "Yeah…now there here."

"And…the computers they were kept on have been shorted out when Ryan accidentally dropped that bottle of acid on the server." Esposito laughed.

"And it caught on fire as it shorted out and we sprayed it down with water and the fire extinguishers they had on hand.

"So all of Ares records on the boys and myself have been destroyed?" Vincent asked.

"To the best of our knowledge, yeah." Ryan nodded.

Catherine sighed. "I don't know if I'm relieved or not…what if Ares kept records on his business computer as well?"

Devin leaned forward. "Mom…we were never allowed in his real office and any work we did was always on the lower computers."

"But what about…"

"Catherine," Vincent reached over and took her hand as he interrupted her. "We can't live if we constantly worry about something that may not be…"

"He's right, Mom." Charles agreed.

Catherine looked at him then at Vincent and realized the truth in what he said and she nodded in agreement. "You're right."

"Cathy," Joe said as he got her attention. "I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to make sure Vincent and the boys are protected."

"I know."

Rick smiled at Catherine. "Cathy, do you think you want to come back Above and reclaim your old life?"

Catherine blinked in surprise. "I…um…haven't even thought about it! I mean…forty eight hours ago my life was precarious at best. "

Vincent dropped her hand and looked away. "You have a chance to go back and live the life you were meant to live."

"We'll talk about this later, Vincent." Catherine said quietly as she reached for his hand again. "I'll have to let you know, Rick, but thanks for asking…"

"Hey, Dad? Jacob said there's a place to swim a few levels down. You want to go?"

Vincent was honored that his son wanted to spend time with him but he was torn between wanting to spend time with Catherine and he looked at her worriedly. "I…"

Catherine ruffled Devin's hair. "Devin, that's a wonderful idea! Your Dad would love to spend time with you boys."

"Catherine?" Vincent asked quietly.

Jenny interrupted. "Go! It will give Cathy and me a chance to talk!"

Joe looked over at his friend. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure thing, Uncle Joe," Charles offered.

Vincent, Joe and the three boys left and headed to the swimming chamber while Ryan and Esposito headed off to see Pascal and Beckett and Castle left to walk in the tunnels.

Catherine and Jenny headed to Vincent's chamber where they sat together on the bed and caught up on everything that had happened to both of them over the years.

An hour and a half later, Jenny looked down at her watch. "Oh my God, I've got to get home and start dinner! I'm gonna go get Joe…you think they'd be back by now!"

"I'll go with you, the boys are probably starving."

The two friends walked down to the swimming hole and hovered in the tunnel way listening to the laughter echoing off of the walls inside.

"Oh, Jenny…this is music to my ears!"

"Were you worried they wouldn't get along?"

"No…that's not it…the boys had such a rough time growing up. I'm just glad they're finally getting a chance to relax and spend time just being kids."

Jenny took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Here's hoping your family has nothing but laughter fillings its days from here on out."

She and Catherine walked into the chamber and stood waiting for someone to notice they were there.

Jacob threw a wet nerf ball over Vincent's head and watched as it landed at the feet of his mother.

"Hey Mom!" was called out as each of the boys greeted their mother.

Joe looked up expectantly at Jenny. "Time to go, babe?"

"You got it! Unless you want to deal with your six starving kids later on…"

Joe swam to the edge and quickly got out then took the towel she offered. "No way…give me five minutes to get dressed."

He left as Jacob got out of the water first. Catherine stood by the towels and held one open for him as if he was a child. Jacob smiled as he was lavished with her motherly attention. "Thanks, Mom."

Catherine had towel dried his hair and laughed as it spiked precariously in the air. "You're welcome, honey."

Jacob kissed her cheek. "Maybe after Winterfest we can spend some time alone together and get to know one another better."

"I'd love that, Jacob!"

Jacob left to change as the twins made their way out of the pond. Catherine smiled at each of them and watched as they took the towels she handed them and dried off.

Earlier, Vincent had hesitated at the side of the pool when everyone had been getting ready to go in. He watched as his twin sons stripped to shorts without a second thought about their appearance. He marveled at their unselfconsciousness then noticed that neither Jacob nor Joe paid any attention to them. With a sigh, he stripped as well and he, his three sons and best friend had a wonderful afternoon together horse playing in the pool.

Now, as he watched Catherine with his sons, he noticed that she too hadn't reacted to the excessive body hair they had. He realized that his perceptions of his body were not necessarily those of others and he took a deep breath before he got out of the pool.

Catherine swallowed hard as Vincent walked towards her wearing only swimming trunks. She quickly compared him to his sons. While Devin and Charles were very muscular from working out, they still had the body of sixteen year old boys, Jacob being older was just starting to fill out but her throat went dry as she looked at Vincent. She licked her lips nervously as she noticed the breadth of his shoulders and his muscular chest.

Vincent stopped in front of her and tried to take the towel from her but she clutched it closely and he blushed as she looked at him.

"Catherine…"

"Yeah?" Catherine looked down at her hands and realized she was holding his towel. She opened it and began drying off his chest. She watched it rise and fall as his breathing increased under her ministrations.

She looked up slowly and saw the desire in his eyes. "Vincent?"

Vincent pulled her closer as he leaned down to kiss her. Catherine slipped her arms around his neck as she melted against his chest. They kissed passionately only pulling apart when the boys came into the room.

"Mom, we're gonna go get something to eat." Charles offered.

"God! Can't you two keep your hands to yourself?" Devin teased.

Vincent blushed while Catherine rolled her eyes. "Go! We'll meet you there in a minute."

Jacob hit his brother's arms affectionately. "C'mon…let's leave these love birds alone."

Vincent started to walk away when Catherine stopped him lightly with a touch on his arm. She reached out and held her hand lightly over his heart then leaned in and kissed him lightly.

She smiled coyly as she backed away. "I love you, Vincent."

"I love you as well, Catherine," Vincent smiled lightly as he captured her lips once more.

They sighed as they broke apart.

"You should get dressed, you've got to be getting cold…"

After the touch of her hand against his chest and the few kisses they shared, Vincent felt like his blood was boiling inside of him, and he smiled at her wryly. "No…I…yes…I'll go get dressed."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the dining chamber…I'm sure that's where the boys are headed."

"I'll be there."

Vincent walked into the dining chamber to see Catherine sitting at a table with a cup of tea. She was surrounded by sons who each had a plate filled with food. The twins were quickly making their way through the items on their plates while Jacob was speaking to Mouse.

Vincent touched Catherine's shoulder lovingly as he sat down next to her. With an amused look, he watched the twins wolfing down their food before he listened in on the conversation between Jacob and Mouse.

"Not good….not fine…."

"Are you sure you saw the leak, Mouse?"

"Heard drops…flashed light…saw water…"

Instantly alert to the dangers of a water line break, Vincent became alarmed. "Where Mouse?"

Jacob turned to Vincent. "Mouse thinks he found a leak on the level directly above the Great Hall."

"That's impossible, Mouse. We rerouted the line running through that chamber years ago. That chamber has been sealed ever since," Vincent pointed out.

Mouse shrugged worriedly. "I know what I know…and I know!"

"I'll go check it out then," Jacob offered.

Thinking it would be a routine check, Vincent nodded. "Thank you, let me know what you find."

Jacob and Mouse stood and started to walk towards the door. Suddenly, the walls and floor started to shake as a rumble could be heard through the tunnels.

"What the…?" Jacob gasped.

Mouse knew what he had heard as he looked at Jacob. "Told you!"

Jacob and Mouse ran from the room as Vincent looked at Catherine. "Find Father…have him send a message for help then stay with him in the library. I'll be back when I can…"

Charles and Devin had abandoned their food at the first rumble and stood by their father.

"We're coming too, Dad."

"No…I don't think…"

Devin shot him an angry look. "We're bigger and stronger than anyone here besides maybe you…this is our home now, and we're helping!"

Vincent looked at Catherine who nodded her assent. "They _are_ highly trained for emergencies, Vincent. Just keep an eye on them!"

Vincent took off running followed closely by his sons. They ran through the tunnels at an amazing speed and quickly passed several of the men who were heading to help out as well.

Vincent stopped abruptly at one point to listen to the frantic message on the pipes. With a glance at his sons, he ran back in the tunnel way about fifty feet and started down a rarely used connecting tunnel. He hesitated briefly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He heard the twins come up behind him and knew they're eyes had adjusted as well and the three took off at a dead run again. Despite being able to see, Vincent knew the tunnel's dangers and called out directions as they ran so the boys would be safe navigating through the dark passageway.

They ran into the chamber with the broken pipe and could see a gaping hole in the floor where the weight of the water had caused it to crash down. Unfortunately this chamber's floor was the ceiling to the Great Hall and Vincent's first thought was of a cancelled Winterfest.

He looked up and saw the water still flowing from a broken water pipe and he frowned at the difficulty of the repair.

The other tunnel members began to run into the room as well.

Mouse gasped. "Not good…"

"No, Mouse…it isn't," Jacob agreed.

"What should we do?" Kanin asked.

The men began to throw out ideas and each one was discussed amongst them and the pros and cons were heavily weighed.

Charles and Devin had been standing quietly off to the side. Their speech was limited to a few words as they bounced ideas off one another.

"Main feed…" "Unknown…" "Possible seal…" "Too much force…" "Diversion…" "Possibly…" "Further assessment…" "Agreed…"

Unknown to anyone else, the boys took off and ran further down the tunnel way. They popped in to various chambers as they followed the pipeline through the walls.

Devin slammed to a stop when he ran into a chamber that was actually a huge ledge that bordered over a large body of water. He and Charles smiled when they realized that they found the place where they could divert the water flow until the line could be repaired.

They took off at a dead run back to chamber by everyone else.

The men were still standing and throwing out ideas. The mood in the room was quickly becoming desperate when the twins ran in.

"Dad! We need grappling hooks and a couple hundred feet of rope…some hack saws…bolt cutters…"

Vincent turned around to face his son. "Devin…"

Charles guessed that Vincent was going to put them off and he rushed to explain. "There's a chamber about a quarter mile down this tunnel way…the main pipe runs through it…it's over some type of pond or lake or something…"

"I know the chamber you're speaking of..."

"If we can divert the water it will give us time to repair this section…"

"Worth try!" Mouse said.

"Show us boys…" Kanin added.

"It's a wonderful idea, but impossible to execute…" Vincent sighed.

"Why!" Devin wondered.

"There's no way to safely get to the pipe, Devin…" Vincent clarified.

Charles grabbed his shoulder. "Dad! Devin and I have been scaling rock walls since we were seven…Please let us show you!"

Vincent looked up again at the broken pipe then down at the quickly flooding Great Hall. He frowned as he nodded. "Go!"

The entire crew followed the boys as they ran down the tunnel way. Matthew lit torches and put them in iron brackets as he quickly lit the passageway for everyone.

Vincent stopped at the edge of the ledge in the chamber and quickly assessed the situation. Jacob stood next to him and gasped at the height of the ceiling.

"No way, Dad!" Jacob objected.

"Devin, it does look dangerous!" Vincent sighed.

Devin scowled at him. "It does seem daunting but Charles and I could do this in our sleep!"

Cullen and Jonathon came in with a chest filled with all kinds of hooks and pulleys. Kevin had hundreds of feet of ropes and Steven had tools of all different kinds.

Charles dug through the items and quickly gathered what they thought they could use. Devin had grabbed the ropes and stood tying all kinds of knots into different places on the rope.

Jacob watched in amazement as Devin created harnesses for them to use. "What can we do, Dev?"

"Six men…three men per twin…lift us up until we can get up there…"

Vincent shook his head. "Devin…this is too dangerous…I can't let you go…tell me what you're planning to do and I'll go alone."

Realizing he was worried about his sons, Devin grinned at Vincent. "No way, Pops! We'll need more men…" He patted Vincent's stomach lightly. "Too many nights reading books has packed on a few pounds…besides we're what…like forty years younger!"

Kanin laughed aloud. "He's right, Vincent."

Vincent grabbed Devin and hugged him tightly. "Be careful, son. No unnecessary chances!"

"Who, me?" Devin asked innocently.

Vincent turned and hugged Charles as well. "You're the less impulsive one…watch your brother…"

"We'll be fine, Dad."

Charles and Devin started to climb up the walls in the chamber. They worked amazingly fast with very little words exchanged. As one of them made a hole in the wall, the other would quickly insert a steel spike for footing and they would move on to the next spot.

Vincent gasped several times when he thought they were putting too much space between their footings but he looked on proudly when they reached a small ledge at ceiling level in less than twenty minutes.

Charles slipped a rope around the water line before he climbed on top of it and straddled it. Devin followed suit and the two scooted their way down the length towards the middle of the pipe. Half way over the pond, both boys drilled holes into the ceiling and inserted pulley in it to hold their weight if the pipe should give.

About twenty feet ahead of them, Devin looked over and noticed another pipe leading out at another angle.

"Dad! There's a pipe connecting to this one…"

Mouse and Vincent exchanged looks. Mouse shrugged and Vincent took off down the tunnel way followed by Mouse. They ran further down to yet another little used chamber and looked up at the ceiling.

"I think it goes to the pipe that leads to level twelve."

Mouse frowned as his eyes adjusted to the low light. "Could be wrong…"

"Yes…"

"Think I'm right…"

"Why, Mouse?"

"Pipe looks same…see code on side…same one as level twelve…"

Vincent nodded as they ran back to the chamber. "Devin it's safe!"

Devin looked at his brother. "Redirect?"

"Agreed."

Devin scooted ahead on the pipe just past where the two pipes connected. He turned and faced his brother as Charles scooted closer.

The two boys secured their lines into the ceiling again then looked down at the valve that they needed to move to divert the water flow.

"Fused?"

"No…rusted…"

Devin banged on the valve with a hammer and frowned as it didn't budge. "Great."

Charles got to his knees then up on his feet as he balanced on the pipe. He walked over to where he was straddling the two pipes and took out the long hammer that was dangling from his side.

Devin grinned his approval and quickly put a chisel under the valve to give his brother a larger target to hit.

Charles took several swings and Devin called out excitedly after the last hit. "It's giving…"

It was several more swings before Charles took a final blow. The valve gave way and Devin could feel inside the pipe that the water flow had been successfully diverted.

"Got it!"

He and Charles exchanged high fives but Charles' footing was too precarious and he slipped from the pipe. Devin watched as the pulley holding his brother came out of the ceiling and he grabbed for him at the last second.

Devin slipped from the pipe as well and the two brothers clung to one line as they dangled dangerously from the ceiling.

The weight of two people was too much for Kanin, Cullen and Matthew to hold up and they started to slip as Vincent roared in anguish and grabbed for the rope as well.

Kevin, Jonathon and Steven realized their rope was holding nothing and ran to help as well.

Vincent knew the six men could handle the ropes as he ran to the side of the cliff and shouted instructions.

"Charles!"

"He's okay, Dad!" Devin called back.

"We have to lower you, boys. Without Charles being secured it would be too dangerous to lift you."

"Agreed." Charles called out.

Vincent watched the progress as Jacob called out instructions. "Lower!"

The six men slowly let the ropes go through their hands and the boys lowered about ten feet. They repeated this process a few more times until Devin called out.

"So…what's the chances the water's like one hundred degrees?"

Vincent frowned. "It's a few degrees away from freezing, Devin…"

Charles laughed. "That's what we thought…"

About twenty feet from the surface, Devin looked at his brother. "Ready?"

"Oh yeah!"

Vincent's heart skipped a beat when Devin let go of the line and the two boys fell into the water. As expected the coldness took their breath away but they quickly swam to the edge and stood on the side of the embankment.

Freezing, they looked about fifty feet up to see Vincent peering over the edge.

"We're okay!" they sang out together.

Kanin had already secured a pulley onto the tunnel wall and lowered a rope over the side. "Can you kids hold on while we pull you up?"

"Yeah!" they replied simultaneously.

Devin secured himself in the harness first but because the deep cold was taking its toll, the boy's were starting to show signs of hypothermia and Devin couldn't hold onto the rope.

Charles shivered uncontrollably but offered encouragement. "C'mon…Dev…"

Devin gasped as he slid down the side of the wall. "Ccccan't…"

Jacob quickly assessed the situation and grabbed a third rope. "Lower me guys…"

He flew over the edge and in record time was on the ground by his brothers.

"You guys need to get out of those clothes!"

Devin and Charles quickly obeyed and started to peel off the layers. Jacob stripped off his outer shirt and handed it to Devin.

"Jacob!" Vincent's voice carried down and Jacob looked up to see a tied bundled coming down on yet another rope.

He quickly opened it and found several shirts as well as Vincent's cloak and a blanket of Kanin's. He helped his brothers dress then rubbed them quickly trying to get the circulation flowing in their limbs again.

The warmth from the shirts started to have the desired effect on them and Charles and Devin started to move around better. They both began to jump up and down in a further attempt to warm up their lower bodies.

"Can we try again?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah." Charles said.

"Okay…go Charles." Jacob ordered.

Vincent helped his six friends pull Charles up and it seemed like it only took a few tugs when Charles' head cleared the side.

Vincent grabbed for him and helped him over then hugged him fiercely. "I'm glad you're okay!"

"Me too, Dad!"

By the time Vincent turned around, the guys had Devin half way up the side and Vincent pulled him to safety as well. He hugged Devin just as fiercely.

"Thanks, Dad!" Devin smiled.

Kanin grabbed his arm. "We've got Jacob…get these guys in the hot pools!"

"Jacob?" Vincent called out.

"Go Dad! I'll meet you there…"

Vincent nodded then led the twins into the bathing chambers where they promptly jumped into the warm water.

Catherine had been alerted to the problem and came running in to see them.

"Hey Mom," Devin grinned.

Catherine looked at the boys and sighed with relief. "You're okay?"

"Yeah…we're fine!" Charles added.

Vincent came around the corner with towels in his arms and looked guiltily at Catherine. "I didn't keep them very safe."

She kissed his cheek as she took the towels from his hand then led them over to the bench where they could sit. "What happened?"

"There was a water main break in the chamber above the Great Hall." Vincent started to explain.

Devin swam quickly over and interrupted him. "Charles and I used our mountain climbing skills to shimmy up the side of a chamber wall."

"Then we scaled down on top of the pipe…we were able divert the water…" Charles added proudly.

"Yes…" Vincent agreed.

Catherine looked at the three of them. "And…how did my sons end up swimming in a frigid pond?"

Devin shrugged as he got out of the water. "Down was the only way to go...a few feet from the surface I let go of the line and we swam to the side."

"Jacob helped us get up the embankment and Dad brought us here," Charles said as he followed his brother out of the water. "No harm done."

Both boys had taken a towel and were drying off.

"Why do I have a feeling there was more to it than that?" Catherine asked.

Jacob walked in with his arms filled with clothes. "Here you go guys."

The twins left to get dressed as Vincent looked at Jacob. "Tell me…"

"There's a crew working right now but if I had to guess…I'd say no."

"I was afraid of that."

"What?" Catherine asked.

Jacob frowned. "A portion of ceiling in the Great Hall collapsed from the weight of the water."

"Oh no!"

"We'll have to cancel Winterfest…" Vincent announced sadly.

"It would be the safest thing to do." Jacob agreed.

Devin and Charles walked in dressed in tunnel garb.

"What would be the safest thing to do?" Devin wondered.

"To cancel Winterfest," Catherine explained.

"Why?" Charles asked.

Jacob lightly hit their arms. "C'mon…I'll show you…you guys saved the tunnels but the damage had already been done."

The entire family followed Jacob as he led them down through the levels.

Vincent held Catherine's hand as they walked across the slippery floor in front of the huge wooden doors at the entrance to the Great Hall.

Vincent opened the door wide enough for them to slip in then. As he secured the door, he heard Catherine gasp.

"Oh, no!"

The entire hall floor was covered in about six inches of water.

Mouse was sitting on the steps desperately trying to fix a beat up generator.

Kanin, Cullen, Mouse, Jonathon, Kevin and Steven as well as Jaime, Eric, Elizabeth, Samantha and William were diligently trying to clean the hall but they weren't making a dent in the damage the water had created.

Vincent sighed as he picked up a bench that was upended and floating near the steps. "We have to cancel…"

Cullen nodded in agreement. "I've been saying that for awhile now."

Jaime shot him an angry look. "What difference will it make if we wait another hour or two before we cancel?! We could at least try to get it ready!"

Elizabeth walked over. "I'm willing to try…I can't remember Winterfest ever having been cancelled or postponed!"

"Let's try!" Catherine touched his arm as she pleaded with Vincent.

Vincent looked at her uncertainly but was loathe to dampen her spirits. "Catherine, I'm afraid it'll take a miracle…"

At that very second, the generator roared to life. Everyone turned to look to see Devin and Charles grinning wildly while Mouse looked at them with pure adoration.

"They fixed it!" Mouse exclaimed. "Okay good!"

Charles shook Mouse's hand. "You would have had it in a minute or two more."

"It's a miracle!" Jaime exclaimed.

With renewed hope, Vincent grabbed for the hoses to get them in place to start pumping the water. Charles and Devin observed him for a few seconds then anticipated what he was doing and quickly helped him. Within minutes, the hoses were leading out the door and spraying the water over the side of the windy staircase.

Jacob went to the far side of the hall and grabbed a broom then started pushing the water towards the ends of the hoses. Kanin, Cullen and the other men followed suit and started to help him move the water as well, while everyone else in the room set to work moving the tables and benches to the areas that no longer contained water.

Kate walked in with a basket filled with towels and rags followed by Rick who carried in a huge floor fan.

"Hi," Kate called out over the noise of the generator.

Catherine looked up and smiled happily. "Hi!"

"They sent us down with this stuff…can we help?" Kate asked.

"You sure can!" Kanin assured. "Rick right?"

"Yeah," Castle nodded.

"Bring that fan over here, we'll set it up and start drying off this floor."

Castle carried it over and the two men set it up in the far corner of the room. Kanin plugged it into a smaller generator and the fan sprang to life. After a few minutes the floor directly in front of the fan started to dry and for the first time everyone's spirits seemed to lift.

Kate set the basket down on top of one of the tables and Catherine grabbed a towel and started to dry off the benches. Kate helped her as well as Rebecca and Jaime. As they finished drying the pieces, the guys would carry them over and set them down on a dry area of flooring.

A few hours later, Vincent turned off the generator and everyone turned around to look at him in the now quiet room.

Charles smiled as he looked and saw that they had cleaned and rearranged about half the room already. "We've made great progress!"

Vincent looked at the weariness on everyone's faces and sighed as he grabbed Charles' shoulder. "There's still much to be done and it's late…"

"Almost too much," Cullen moaned.

Devin rolled his eyes as he lightly tapped Vincent in the stomach. "Pops! Don't be such a pessimist!"

Jacob blew out a long breath. "The tunnel way is solid mud and the stone in front of the great doors is soaking wet. The steps are wet as well…the wind is drying them quickly but they might be too slippery to navigate."

"So throw some carpeting down on them," Rick shrugged.

Kanin sighed aloud. "If it was only that easy…We don't exactly have a stockpile of remnants lying around!"

"I'll go buy some," Catherine exclaimed happily.

Kate frowned at her new friend. "How Cathy? You don't exist yet…"

Catherine's face fell. "Oh my God…I…forgot…I…finally felt like I was back home and I…can't believe I…forgot."

Vincent stepped over and pulled her close as it dawned on her again that in her world she was still considered dead.

"I'll buy it then," Rick offered.

Kate smiled at him. "Really Castle?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Vincent smiled warmly. "That's most generous of you, Rick."

Castle smiled with his boyish grin. "Yeah…but think how much happiness it will bring."

Kate reached for Catherine's hand. "Why don't you come and help us pick up the things will need…after you're alive again you can pay Castle back if you want." At Catherine's look of uncertainty, Kate prodded further. "It'll give you a chance to see the city again…even if only for a little while."

Charles called over to her. "Hey Mom, if you go can you pick up some shoes for me and Charles?"

Catherine smiled weakly at Charles' innocent question. "Honey…didn't you hear us talking…I have no money…"

Confused, Devin looked over at Jacob. "You said she had a ton of money!"

Jacob frowned at him. "She does, but Dev…she has no identity…no way to claim the money or use it."

"That's dumb!" Charles grumbled.

Kate looked at Rick, who read her mind and nodded his approval. "Look…Rick can loan your mom some money and she can pick you guys up some stuff." She looked over at Catherine. "We should go if we want to get there before the stores close."

Catherine looked at Vincent.

"You should go," he encouraged.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…"

She leaned in where only he could hear her. "But what about tonight?"

"Well…it seems my son's have needs that only you can fulfill..." he said with a glimmer in his eye. "And…you'll be back early enough…I promise I'll be here."

Catherine smiled widely the turned to Rick. "If you're sure you don't mind, then yes…I'd love to go."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Catherine, Kate and Rick quickly made their way Above. Rick rented a pick up truck, and their first stop was the carpeting store, where they brought three large remnants. One that would fill the space in front of the doors of the great hall and amazingly enough they found a long runner that would go down the length of the windy staircase. They also picked up a few smaller runners that would be used in various parts around the hall.

The workers had the truck loaded in no time and the three friends climbed back in the front seat.

"Where to next, ladies?" Rick asked.

"Castle, why don't we head to the mall? Cathy should be able to get everything she needs there."

Catherine moaned. "Ugh…not a mall…not yet. Is there a sporting goods store nearby?"

"Yeah…there's one about a mile from here." Rick nodded.

"Well…let's go, Castle!" Kate encouraged.

Kate led the way as Catherine grabbed for a cart then headed through the aisles of the store after her.

Catherine stopped in front of a display of hiking boots and scanned the boxes for the shoe sizes she needed.

Kate looked around curiously for Rick and noticed him walking towards her with a swim mask, snorkel and flippers on his feet.

"Castle?!"

"Did you guys see this? This stuff is awesome!"

Catherine laughed at him while Kate looked around with embarrassment. "Castle? How do you know who's mouth has been on that?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "I took the snorkel out of the package…"

"You'll have to buy it now!"

"Of course I am…I just said this stuff was great!"

An older gentleman was standing an aisle over and leaned back to see the couple bantering. He recognized Rick and quickly grabbed his cell phone. He sent a quick text out before he turned and started to walk towards Rick.

"Excuse me…you're Richard Castle aren't you?"

Rick loved his fans and smiled widely at the kind old man. "Yes…I am…and this is Nikki Heat."

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled weakly at the man. "Hello, sir."

"Wow! How can I be this lucky to meet you both? My wife is your biggest fan!" the man gushed.

Having been through this many times, Kate started to slip away unnoticed to go help Catherine.

Catherine had picked out identical boots for the twins, then splurged and picked up a pair for both Vincent and Jacob. She had made her way over to the athletic shoes and was debating between two styles.

Rick listened patiently while the man rambled on about his wife then politely autographed the Nike box holding the gold shoes the man planned to buy.

Catherine had grabbed two pairs of shoes for the twins, and she and Kate were making their way towards Rick when the older man turned around.

"Oh my God! It can't be!"

Catherine hesitated while the man stared at her. Kate moved protectively closer to her as Rick moved to the man's side.

"You're Catherine Chandler!"

Catherine backed up a step while Kate steadied her and looked at the man curiously. "What did you say?"

"This woman's name is Catherine Chandler."

"Why would you think that's her name?" Rick asked.

The man looked up at Castle. "My name is Dean Marshall, I was an investigative reporter for the New York Times for almost twenty years. At the end of my career, they booted me down to society news…you could say I was one of the first paparazzi…I took hundreds of pictures of Miss Chandler back in the late 80's right up until her tragic death…which I can see now…was staged. Miss Chandler…I have no right to ask but I would love a chance to interview you."

He looked curiously at Catherine for some type of explanation. Catherine faltered under his gaze and Kate came to her rescue.

"Miss Chandler has only recently been discovered during an official investigation conducted by the US government."

"Really?"

Rick nodded. "It's true…tomorrow she's going to give her statement in court."

Kate frowned at his lie and prompted Catherine towards the cashier. "Well, it was nice meeting you but we've got to…um…meet with…an attorney," she lied easily.

Rick paid for the boots and shoes and the three quickly headed out the door. As they walked out, flashes started going off all around them as numerous reporters descended on them.

Rick threw his arm around Catherine and drew her close while Kate walked ahead and angrily called out to the reporters.

"Back away…now! You are obstructing an official police investigation…"

Rick helped Catherine into the driver's side door of the truck and waited until she scooted into the middle seat. He slipped in next to her and waited until Kate hopped in the other side.

"Go Castle!" she said as she pulled on her seat belt.

Catherine hid her face as they truck pulled away.

"Now what?!" Rick wondered aloud.

Kate looked sadly over at Catherine. "I just announced to a group of reporters that you were coming forward…"

"I know…"

Rick had been glancing in the rearview mirror. "Yeah…and they're following us."

"Great!" Kate moaned as she looked out the door mirror.

"Where do I go, Beckett?"

Kate shook her head as she thought quickly. "Joe's house…let's take her to Joe's."

"No!" Not wanting to flood his household and upset their kids with all this commotion, Catherine said quickly. "Take me to the police station…" she sighed aloud knowing that whether she was ready or not the world was about to learn of her existence. "Let's get this over with."

Kate called Joe to let him know what they were doing then called the precinct to let the Captain in on their plan.

When they arrived, Rick dropped them off at the front door and Kate rushed Catherine inside.

After she was questioned she was fingerprinted then a dentist came to take impressions for dental verification.

It was late in the night and Catherine dozed briefly on a couch in the Captain's office waiting for all the concerned parties to show up.

Joe was there soon enough and stayed by her side the entire time as she sat for hours giving testimony to various officials including General Phillips and Senator Gillibrand.

It was early morning when they finally broke up and Kate brought in the paperwork for her to sign. "Well…its official you'll be Catherine Chandler again by the end of the day."

Catherine smiled tiredly. "I used to think that would matter to me…now, I just want to go Below and enjoy Winterfest."

Kate smiled at her. "If you'd like we can get ready at my place…I could loan you something to wear."

Catherine looked down at her clothing and smiled. "I'd like that, thank you."

"Castle will pick us up and take us to Joe's then we can all head Below."

"Where's Rick?"

"He left hours ago to get the carpeting Below as well as the shoes for the boys, and he wanted to tell Vincent what was going on..."

Catherine thought of what was supposed to be a magical night with Vincent and smiled ruefully. "Life still seems to be conspiring against us…"

"What?"

"Nothing…let's go."

The two new friends rushed to Kate's where they each took showers and got ready.

Catherine gasped when Kate brought out a hunter green satin gown for her to wear. She slipped it on and frowned worriedly at the deep cleavage. She wondered if it was appropriate for someone her age and if the twins or Jacob would be embarrassed by her. Nestled between her breasts sat the crystal necklace Vincent had given her on their first anniversary. He had kept it all these years and returned it to her the morning after they reunited.

Kate came out dressed in a deep brown sweater dress and smiled at Catherine. "You look great!"

Catherine frowned as she tugged lightly at the sides. "I don't know…what if I have a wardrobe malfunction?"

Kate laughed and reached inside her purse and brought out double faced tape. "Here…it's what all the non publicity seeking people wear these days under the latest fashions."

Catherine strategically placed a few strips on various points along the dress. She stood in front of the mirror and moved about and smiled when she saw the dress now stayed put. "Kate, this stuff is great!"

Kate looked over her shoulder and nodded with approval. "I knew it would work." She noticed Catherine's necklace and reached for it to look at it closer. "It's beautiful…"

"Thank you, Vincent gave it to me on our first anniversary."

"And you still have it after all these years?!"

"Vincent had it all this time he kept it after I died…" She giggled as she caught Kate's eye. "…which to anyone else would sound like I need to be committed."

The doorbell rang as Kate grinned and grabbed her coat. "Come on…you've spent enough time away from the man you love…let's get to him, and maybe we can show up fashionably late for the festivities."

Rick came in and paid the appropriate compliments to the two women then escorted them to his car. Traffic was light as he quickly made his way through the streets to Joe's house.

Joe saw them pull up and held the door for them as they ran inside.

"Damn, Radcliffe! You look great!" He looked over at Kate with the same smile. "You clean up pretty nice too, Beckett!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Thanks, sir."

Jenny called out from the stair way. "Are you cheating on me, Joe Maxwell?"

Joe looked up to see his wife making her way down the stairs. He smiled and walked over to the base of the steps. "You know I've only got eyes for you baby."

Jenny shook her head humorlessly as he kissed her cheek. "Good cover." She walked over to Catherine and hugged her. "Now you look like the Cathy I used to know! You look beautiful…"

Catherine laughed and straightened a ruffle on Jenny's dress. "So do you! This is a wonderful color for you."

Rick rubbed his hands together. "I'm starving…we should get Below."

Jenny held Catherine's hand and the two chatted while they made their way Below. Joe followed closely behind them and enjoyed the happiness they were feeling at reconnecting after all these years.

Half way to the Great Hall, Vincent met them in the tunnel way. "I came to escort you to the festivities."

"Did we miss the ceremony?" Catherine asked anxiously as she put her arm through his.

"I sent Debbie and the kids here awhile ago to tell Vincent we were on our way." Jenny explained.

Vincent couldn't take his eyes off Catherine as he nodded. "Under the circumstances the community has decided to wait for you…" He looked up towards Kate and Rick. "And our new friends."

"Let's hurry then, I don't want to keep everyone waiting," Catherine said as she prompted them to walk faster.

Vincent led them to the staircase behind the Great Hall where the twins and Jacob waited. Joe and Jenny led Kate and Rick down the steps and the room darkened.

"You look great, Mom." Jacob whispered.

"Yeah, Mom…who knew you were so hot!" Charles laughed.

"Don't you think she looks hot, Dad?" Devin asked devilishly

Vincent leaned in amusedly and took her hand. "Yes, Devin…your mother is…hot."

Catherine reached up and gave him a kiss. "You look pretty good yourself."

Vincent lowered his head shyly then looked out over the community below. Catherine swayed against him and the boys gathered behind them to listen to the ceremony.

Oohs and ahhs were heard as the chandeliers were raised and the hall came to life.

Father raised his hand in the air to silence everyone to make his announcement. "Many years ago, my son saved the life of a very special young woman. Despite many trials and tribulations they fell in love. Tragedy struck and that young woman was taken from us too soon but in return we got my first grandson, Jacob."

Jacob had slipped away and was now standing next to his grandfather. "I've lived my entire life wanting to know who my mother was…I spent many nights dreaming of meeting her. Now…Uncle Joe and Aunt Jenny along with our newest friends Kate and Rick have brought us a very special surprise this year…"

"I thought _I_ was going to surprise everyone but an announcement about it? That's too much!"

All eyes turned to see the original Devin as he came in through the main door.

Jacob grinned widely. "Hey Uncle Devin!"

"Hey kid! Hiya pops!"

Father hugged him warmly and grabbed his arm. "Son, it is wonderful to see you…please believe that…but the surprise…"

Father looked up and nodded then motioned with his arm to the steps. All eyes followed his gaze and several people gasped as they saw Vincent begin to walk down the steps with Catherine holding tightly to his arm. Following closely behind them were the very nervous twins.

Gasps could be heard and people began to cheer.

Devin's mouth hung open in shock as he walked to the bottom of the steps. He tapped Vincent on the arm affectionately and turned immediately to Catherine.

"Chandler?"

"Hi, Devin."

He grabbed her and spun her around as he hugged her warmly. "My God, I can't believe you're alive!"

Catherine smiled at him. "Well…I am."

Devin glanced at the twins. "And you've been busy…"

Vincent squeezed his shoulder. "Devin, Catherine gave me two more sons. Meet Charles."

Devin shook hands with Charles.

"Nice to meet you…Uncle Devin." Charles said.

Devin grinned and pulled the boy into a hug. "Nice to meet you too, Charles."

He looked to Vincent to introduce the other twin. "Devin…meet…Devin."

Devin looked at Catherine for confirmation and she nodded. He looked proudly back at his namesake. "Nice to me you, Devin."

"You too, Uncle Devin."

The two hugged and Devin clasped them both on the shoulder. "You two look exactly like your Dad did."

"Really…" Devin smiled innocently. "Most people say we take after our Mom."

Devin looked at him in confusion until he saw the twinkle in his nephew's eye. "Oh, no…you're a handful aren't you?"

"Maybe…"

Devin grabbed his nephew and roughly hugged him again.

For over the next three hours, Vincent and Catherine answered questions and then introduced their sons to everyone. Finally, the room began to settle and they got a chance to get something to eat and drink.

The tempo of the music slowed and Catherine watched as Joe and Jenny and Rick and Kate made their way to the dance floor. She saw Rebecca and Matthew on the floor already as well as Kanin and Olivia.

"Can we dance, Vincent?"

Vincent smiled and led her out onto the dance floor. The lights dimmed and they became lost in each others eyes. Two songs later, the tempo increased and the other couples left the floor but Vincent and Catherine were oblivious to everything going on around them.

Devin and Charles stood next to them with Debbie and Kelly.

"Mom?!" Charles asked.

Catherine's head was nestled under Vincent's chin as she rested against his chest. "Hmmm?"

Devin was exasperated. "Mom! You're embarrassing us!"

Vincent looked up to see the teenagers of the community lining up to do one of their popular dances. "Catherine…" he whispered.

Catherine pulled away and sighed. "All right…"

Vincent led her off the dance floor and headed to get them something to drink. Catherine was surprised to see how many people had already left.

She wandered over by Kate and Rick and Joe and Jenny.

"So many people have already left…" she said with surprise.

Joe looked over at the huge group of teenagers on the dance floor. "No…it's just the next generation of helpers taking over."

Kate stifled a yawn. "This had been a wonderful party but I'm exhausted. Rick and I are heading home."

Joe nodded. "Me too…last night was the longest night ever."

Jenny looked over and motioned for her eldest daughters. They came over and looked at her curiously. "Dad and I are heading home. Your brother and sisters are in the dorms and you two need to be in the dorms no later than midnight."

Debbie rolled her eyes and looked away while Kelly pinched her hard to shut her up. "Okay, mom!"

"We'll be down in the morning to help clean up." Joe announced.

Joe and Jenny led Kate and Rick back to their house so they could get Rick's car and continue home.

Devin walked over and smiled at Vincent. "You two can head out too. I'll chaperone these guys."

Vincent nodded. "Thank you, Devin."

Catherine came over and hugged him. "Maybe tomorrow we can tell you the whole story."

"I'd love to hear it, Cath."

"See you in the morning, Dev," Vincent said as he guided Catherine out.

A short time later, he guided Catherine into his chamber then turned and lowered the blanket over his chamber door.

He stood looking at her uncertainly and Catherine reached out her hand to him.

"It was a wonderful Winterfest."

"Yes."

Catherine eyes were filled with desire as she looked up at him. "Vincent?"

He leaned down and kissed her and Catherine slipped her arms around his neck. Vincent boldly deepened the kiss, and Catherine moaned in surprise.

She backed up slowly and looked at him. "Make love to me, Vincent."

He reached forward and slipped his thumbs under the straps of her gown then gently tugged them down her arms until Catherine yelped.

"Ouch!"

He backed up in surprise and looked at his hands. "I'm sorry!"

"What?" Catherine asked distractedly as she reached inside to remove the double faced tape that was holding the dress to her breasts.

Vincent cocked his head as he watched her and realized what had happened. Relived he hadn't hurt he, he placed his hands on the straps and continued to slip them off her shoulders.

Catherine watched his eyes darken as the dress slipped to the floor to puddle at her feet. She reached up and started to unbutton his shirt then stepped forward and as each button came undone kissed his chest.

Vincent was panting heavily by the time she slipped his shirt off. Lovingly, he lifted her and placed her gently on the bed. Catherine gasped as he kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants to the floor then hopped into bed next to her.

Surprised at his boldness, she touched him gently. "I love that you're so comfortable with this…"

"We've waited a lifetime, Catherine."

He pulled her close and kissed her passionately.

Hands lovingly touched one another and the caresses became passionate and they finally shared their love.

Afterwards, Catherine snuggled against him felt herself drifting to sleep.

"I wonder if every Winterfest will be this good?"

"Now that you're back in our lives I think that every day will be this good."

The End


End file.
